Twenty days after two men looted gold ornaments worth more than Rs.71 lakh from a jewellery showroom located in Vasai (east) at gunpoint on 10, January, five people including the duo and their accomplices landed into the custody of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police.
The incident was reported from Mayank Jewellers- a gold ornament showroom located in a housing complex on the Bhabola-Chulna Road in Vasai (west). The shop owner-Rattanlalji Singhvi (69) was preparing to wind-up, when two men arrived on a bike. While the rider wore a helmet, the pillion rider sported a mask in an apparent attempt to conceal their identities. The duo barged into the showroom at around 9:13 pm, one of them whipped out a gun and threatened Singhvi to keep mum.
the recovered gold and mobile phones |
The recovered firearm and weapons |
However, when Singhvi tried to resist their attempts, the duo hit him on the head with the butt of the gun before heading towards the locker and making away with boxes, containing gold ornaments weighing more than 949 grams worth Rs.71 lakh. The armed robbery which was executed within five minutes had sent shockwaves in the region. Sensing the gravity of the case, DCP (Zone II) Pournima Chougule-Shringi immediately visited the crime spot and deputed six teams to track down the culprits.
The teams scanned footage captured by nearly 600 close circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in the vicinity of the possible getaway routes. The initial breakthrough came when the team noticed a bike which sounded a peculiar horn with the flash of the headlight. The suspected bike had entered a building near the Girij Tokpada area. Investigations revealed that the building was owned by a notorious criminal. After confirmation, the team laid a trap and apprehended -Anuj Gangaram Chougle (36) and Roy Edward Siqueira alias Royal (46). Their interrogations led to the arrest of their accomplices-Sitaram Sarjerao More alias Lalsingh (56), Saurabh Tukaram Rakshe alias Pappu (27) from Satara and the buyer of the stolen property- Amar Bharat Nimgire 21) from Karnataka.
“It was a tough challenge for us but our teams relentlessly worked to crack the case which was meticulously planned. Apart from an automatic pistol, live cartridge, motorcycle, mobile phones, sickles and cutters, the police recovered 297 grams of molten gold worth more than Rs.23.39 lakh from their possession.” said DCP (Zone II) Pournima Chougule-Shringi.
Dreaded History Sheeters
A background check of the gang members revealed their involvement in 37 serious offences like murder and armed dacoity committed by them in Thane, Mumbai, Mahabaleshwar and Satara. Apart from 20 serious offences, the kingpin of the gang- Anuj Gangaram Chougle had also been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act at the Koyna Nagar police station in Humbarli village in Patan district of Satara in 2016.
Meanwhile an offence under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Arms Act has been registered at the Manekpur police station in Vasai against all the accused who have been remanded to custody. Further investigations were underway.
