The Crime Branch Central Unit on Tuesday arrested a man for impersonation and robbery.
The accused has been identified as Gulam Abbad Shaukatali Shaikh alias Siraji alias Gulam Shastri (43), a resident of Ghatkopar. Gold ornaments weighing 71 grams worth ₹1.98 lakh have been recovered from the accused.
Senior Police Inspector Jagdish Kulkarni, Central Unit Crime Branch, said, “The accused used to impersonate a police officer or a corporator and tell women and senior citizens that a robber was on the loose and it wasn’t safe to wear jewellery.”
He added, “He would then produce a handkerchief and offer to wrap their jewellery in it, and would then swap it with a packet wrapped in a similar looking handkerchief.”
Shaikh’s involvement is suspected in five such cases in Navi Mumbai. Nerul and Khandeshwar police have registered cases against him under Sections 420, 170 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. Police are on the hunt for his accomplices.
