2 held for stealing TV sets from hotel under renovation

They loaded the stolen items in an autorickshaw and fled the scene

Navi Mumbai Crime Branch’s Central unit has arrested two men for allegedly stealing 10 smart television sets from a hotel last month.

The accused have been identified as Salman Khan (45), a resident of Mankhurd, and Satyam Harijan, (22), a resident of Nallasopara. The duo broke into The Hill View Residency in Nerul on the intervening night of September 9 and 10.

The hotel was undergoing renovation and the duo stole 10 TVs, a computer desktop and bathroom fittings such as towel racks and jet sprays from 15 rooms.

Workers renovating the hotel found the items missing the next day and alerted the owner. The CBD Belapur police registered a case and the Crime Branch initiated a parallel investigation.

Duo nabbed in Lonavala

“With the help of CCTV footage, we identified the accused, who were history-sheeters. We alerted our informers and nabbed the duo in Lonavala based on a tip-off,” said senior police inspector Nivrutti Kolhatkar. The police said the accused broke windows to enter the hotel. They then loaded the stolen items into an autorickshaw and fled the scene. “The auto driver is wanted in the case,” assistant police inspector Rajesh Gajjal said.

The police said the accused were planning to sell the TVs, but hid them at Mr. Harijan’s house in Nallasopara when they learnt that the police were on the lookout for them. They then fled to Lonavala and took up odd jobs there. The police are yet to recover the stolen items.