Navi Mumbai: The Nerul police have arrested a man for allegedly stealing electronic equipment worth ₹4.83 lakh from a photography studio, in which he is a partner.
According to the police, the accused, Rakesh Ramesh Pednekar (33), is also an Ola cab driver. He stole Mac computers, photography lights and hard disks from the studio as his two business partners were not ready to pay him a steady income.
Mr. Pednekar, a Kharghar resident, used to work as a marketing executive for a monthly salary of ₹40,000 with a mobile network provider. He quit the job around two years ago to start his own enterprise. “He took a loan and invested around ₹1.50 lakh, and started a photography studio with two friends at Neighbourhood Complex in Sector 4, Nerul. He was tasked with marketing the studio and bringing in clients. A few months after starting the studio, he asked for a steady income from his partners, but they refused as he had not brought any clients,” said assistant police inspector Manish Kolhatkar.
Mr. Pednekar decided to get back by stealing the electronic equipment.
No forced entry
The theft happened after the complainant, Kiran Pawar, locked up the studio on September 19. According to the police, Mr. Pednekar had the keys to the studio and could access the shop. To make it look like a theft, he left the shutter unlocked.
“Though the shutter was open, it did not look like a forced entry. We suspected that the thief had used duplicate keys to enter the shop,” Mr. Kolhatkar said.
“But during the investigation, we learnt that all three partners had keys to the studio. We then found evidence against Mr. Pednekar, and questioned him. He confessed to having committed the crime, and we recovered the stolen items from his friend’s house,” the police officer said.
