Navi Mumbai: The Crime Branch Unit-I on Tuesday arrested a man for robbing drivers of autorickshaws, tempos, and taxis on the pretext of hiring and later offering them spiked juice.
Bilal Sahi Khan (50) from Chikligao in Pune was arrested in Khairane of Koparkhairane. Mr. Khan was released from Yerwada jail eight months ago after spending four and a half years for similar crimes.
On May 18, he hired a tempo at Moraj Circle at Sector 16 in Sanpada and asked driver Sidhu Parshuram Gaikwad (63) to take him to Sector 4 in Airoli. After reaching Airoli, Mr. Khan offered sedated juice to Mr. Gaikwad and made away with the latter’s wallet that had cash, licence, Aadhaar card and PAN card, and mobile phone. Mr. Gaikwad gained consciousness the next day after which he registered a case with the Sanpada police.
Similarly, on May 29, Nayyam Sayyedali Sayyed (23), another tempo driver, was robbed after his vehicle was hired from CBD Belapur to APMC market at Sector 19.
On May 28, a taxi driver was reported to have been robbed after his vehicle was hired from Ghansoli to Thane. He became conscious on Monday and found himself in a nullah.
“After the first case was registered with the Sanpada police, we had started investigations and found the history of Mr. Khan, who had done similar crimes in Pune,” said senior police inspector Sandeepan Shinde from Crime branch Unit I.
The CCTV footage of the accused was matched with the details of Mr. Khan recorded with the Pune police. With the help of informers, it was found that he was staying in Khairane village. The police are now trying to find out what sedative drug he was using and from where he was getting it.
Mr. Khan had done similar crimes under the jurisdiction of the Pimpri-Chinchwad, Swargate, Khadki, and the Fursungi police in Pune.
