Gang wanted for spate of robberies busted

MUMBAI: The police on Thursday arrested three members of a gang responsible for 38 housebreaking offences in the western suburbs in the last eight months. Investigators recovered 56 cellphones, four expensive watches, two bikes and instruments used to break open doors and windows.
The five-member gang had come to Khar to rob Mamaji Jewellery Shop when special police squads of the western region arrested three of the members.Two gang members managed to flee.
The gang had stolen expensive watches worth Rs 20 lakh from an Amboli shop on June 6, after four days they had stolen 84 mobile handsets worth Rs 8 lakh from a Khar shop and on June 30, they had robbed mobile handsets worth Rs 4 lakh from a Malad shop. The police are suspecting the gangs involvement in most of the shops looted in the suburb in last few months.
The accused who were held, Abdul Shaikh (27), Sheru Qureshi (20) and A Saroj (25) scout for victims on their bikes. They would carry expensive haversacks to hide the stolen stuff.
The accused were in contact with shopkeepers and after stealing the valuables they would sell them to the latter at low prices. "These shopkeepers have been summoned for questioning. Additional commissioner of police (western region) Vishwas Nangre Patil said, "The arrest of the accused will help us to control the housebreaking offences in our area."
We were tracking the gang's activities since last month, but had been unsuccessful in nabbing them," a member of the special squad said.Recently the police inspector Prakash Patil and sub-inspector Nitin Patil of special squad had learnt that the gang was preparing to loot the Khar jewellery shop. They decided to wait near the shop for the accused and they were keeping close watch there along with the team members. The police arrested the accused along with the instrument use for the break-in when they arrived at the jewellery shop on early Thursday. The police officers stated that they believed gang's involvement in more then 50 offences and enquiring them about it. The police had also informed other police stations in the city about the arrested gang members and their modus-operandi.