Stolen laptop lands youth in police net

NAGPUR: A 23-year-old youth was arrested by Ambazari police for allegedly stealing a laptop of a student who apparently was his childhood friend. It was learnt that the youth needed fast cash to pay to an agent for procuring a fake certificate of board examination as he was struggling to clear it. The need prompted him to take the wrong path.
Police said that Sumit Soni's arrest was as dramatic as his act of treachery.The Ambazai police team used Soni's female friend to trap him at Raipur railway station. He was brought to city before being produced in the court on Saturday which remanded him to the police custody till Monday. The laptop in question was also recovered.
Police said that Soni was childhood chum of Sumit Biswas, who approached the police in February this year after his laptop was stolen from his rented apartment. They had stayed together at an apartment at Valmiki Nagar for few days too. The laptop was stolen when Biswas had barely a week for his examination.
Police had a clue that Soni had visited the apartment on the day the theft took place. It was the landlord of Biswas who had identified Soni with his trademark habit of donning a cap. But, the mere sighting of Soni walking out of Biswas's room was not enough for police to take him into custody.
Biswas, second year student of Bachelor of Computer Application at a reputed college, is a native from Korba in Chhattisgarh. Soni's father too was posted in Korba before shifting to Vilaspur. Biswas and Soni were good friends and there was a bond between their families too.
Biswas came to Nagpur for taking admission at a city college. Soni's girlfriend too was helped by Biswas to get admission in his college. Soni too came to the city to be with his girlfriend. It was learnt that Soni's landlord objected to his spending time with his girlfriend and so he had to leave the premises. He had approached Biswas to allow him to stay with him for three days, but continued to be there for longer. Soni had later shifted elsewhere.
During his stay with Biswas, Soni apparently had spotted where his friend kept his valuables. Biswas was advised by senior officers to approach the concerned brand office of his laptop informing them about the theft. "This was the crucial suggestion which helped police in the long run," said assistant police inspector Gajanan Wasekar of Ambazari police station.
Soni left for Chhattisgarh soon after the theft. Police said that he had approached a local computer repairing centre in Raipur to install games and make certain repairs in the laptop. Unaware of the theft, the local laptop experts had contacted the company for help. The company, however, had realised that the laptop was the stolen one about which it was alerted earlier.
The police team comprising head constable Prakash Patil and constable Narendra Nandekar left for Raipur. They contacted the repair centre and procured the cellphone number of Soni. He was later trapped.