Brave Woman Foils Burglary, Nabs One Thief; Gold Ornaments Worth ₹10 Lakh Stolen

Palghar, Maharashtra: A 22-year-old woman bravely apprehended one of two thieves who who had broken into her home in the Vasant Vihar area of Adarsh Nagar, Palghar. Although one of the thieves managed to escape with gold ornaments worth nearly ₹10 lakh, the young woman’s quick thinking and bravery led to the capture of his accomplice.

The incident took place at the residence of the Chavan family, who run a flower business. On the evening of the crime, Kajal Chavan (22) and her husband Hitesh had gone out around 5:30 pm. Later, around 6 pm, Kajal’s mother-in-law, Geeta Chavan, also locked the house and left for their flower shop with her husband.

Taking advantage of the empty house, two unidentified burglars broke the lock and entered the Chavan residence after 7 pm. The other two flats on the same floor were unoccupied and locked, and the thieves had even latched the door of the adjacent flat from outside to prevent any interference, their plan seemed well-thought-out.

The burglars began stuffing gold jewelry and cash from the cupboards into their bags. Around 7:30 to 8 pm, Kajal and her husband returned home. Kajal, who walked ahead while her husband was parking their vehicle, noticed the main door’s lock was open. As she entered, she found the house ransacked and spotted one of the burglars standing in the living room with a bag slung over his shoulder. The burglar threatened her to stay quiet, while his accomplice was still inside the bedroom.

Before she could raise an alarm, the burglar in the living room attacked her with an iron tool, injuring her left hand, and fled the scene. Moments later, the second burglar emerged from the bedroom. Without a second thought, Kajal lunged at him and held onto his leg tightly, preventing his escape. In a desperate attempt to free himself, the thief dragged her all the way to the lift lobby, but her screams alerted neighbors and her husband, who rushed to her aid.

Together, the residents overpowered the thief, tied his legs, and immediately alerted the police. Officers arrived at the scene without delay and took the accused into custody.

During the struggle, Kajal sustained injuries to her arm. Police later recovered some cash and a portion of the stolen jewelry from the arrested thief, while the accomplice managed to flee with most of the valuables, including Kajal’s personal gold ornaments. Initial reports suggest the two burglars arrived at the scene in an auto-rickshaw. Further investigation is underway.

Surprisingly, several buildings in the area are not equipped with CCTV cameras. Despite the fact that installing surveillance systems is mandatory in many residential complexes, public spaces, and roads for security purposes, these buildings were missing this essential safety feature.