Navi Mumbai: A driver of Ola was arrested for snatching a chain at Shiravane, Nerul, with the help of CCTV footage, and gold worth ₹7.39 lakh was recovered.
On August 7, Sarfaraz Allauddin Shaikh (35), a resident of Rabale, snatched the gold chain of a woman. The police then circulated the CCTV footage among informers. “We got a tip-off that the accused was a resident of Rabale. We laid a trap and nabbed him. On interrogation, he revealed the name of Ejaz Muneer Mullah to whom he used to give the stolen booty,” said Prashant Burde, Joint Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai.
Mullah (42), a resident of Bhiwandi, was arrested. According to the Nerul police, Mullah, who worked at a clothes shop, became friendly with a 60-year-old man, who was well-known among locals. “Mullah would approach this man and say that he has family issues for which he needs to sell off some gold jewellery urgently. The 60-year-old man, who is a cancer patient, used to believe him and take him to jewellers and get the ornaments sold. We have made this man a witness,” said an officer from Nerul police station.
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Gold worth ₹7.39 lakh was recovered from the jeweller, which was stolen by Shaikh and sold by Mullah. “ Shaikh stays with his parents, wife, two children, and sister at his Rabale residence. He would drive his friend’s car for Ola. We are not sure if he is a registered driver with Ola. With the arrest of the duo, around seven cases of chain snatching — six with the Nerul police and one with the Sanpada police — have been detected,” said the official.
The accused were arrested by assistant police inspector Rajesh Gajjal and his team as per the directions given by senior police inspector Ashok Rajput.