Mumbai: Even as two more people were arrested for the ₹2.09 crore Vashi dacoity, the police has learnt that Anita Mhasane, the alleged mastermind, convinced the other accused that no complaint would be filed by the victim’s family because he had black money.
“The victim, a trader in APMC market, dealt with cash on a daily basis. Ms. Mhasane, a property dealer, knew this. But to convince the others to go ahead with the dacoity, she made up a story that the money was black and the complainant would never approach police. The accused were hence confident that they would not get arrested,” according to an officer from Vashi Police Station.
On Friday two more people were arrested and presented before Vashi court. The accused, identified as Dinesh Chavan (27) from Mankhurd, and Lala alias Faheem Khan (28) from Mumbra, have been remanded in police custody till November 17. The police recovered ₹2.24 lakh and a chopper from Chavan and ₹8.15 lakh from Khan. Police had earlier arrested seven accused and recovered valuables worth ₹80.8 lakh. Cash and valuables totalling ₹2.09 crore were looted from the residence of Arun Menkudale in Sector 17, Vashi, on October 27.
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“Two more accused, the gun used in the crime and a car are yet to be recovered. While the accused claim that the gun used was an air gun, we can verify that only after we recover it,” Police Inspector Nitin Gite from Vashi Police Station said. At the time of the dacoity Mr. Menkudale’s wife and 22-year-old daughter were at home.