Mumbai: Police have recovered gold ornaments weighing six kg. and worth ₹1.7 crore from two men suspected of a heist at a jewellery store in Ambernath last week. Of the two, Vinod Rambali Singh (49) has nearly 20 such cases registered against his name since 1982, police said. Cash worth ₹4.5 lakh was also recovered from them.
Joint.Commisioner of Police Madhukar Pandey, Thane Police, said, “There are nearly 20 such cases registered against Vinod since 1982. In 2006, he was arrested in a similar theft case in Hyderabad. There are similar cases against him in Mumbai and Thane.”
Mr. Singh was arrested and taken into custody from his residence at Mira Road on October 13 with Chabildas Jhubeliya (45), a Borivali resident to whom he had given some jewellery. Both accused have been charged under IPC sections 454 (house breaking) and 380 (theft) in the FIR registered by Shivaji Nagar Police station, Ambernath
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After the theft at Sagar Jewellers on October 8, police formed a special team to nab the culprits. “CCTV footage provided an important clue, Vinod’s face was clearly visible. We ran a Google search, which confirmed his identity,” Mr. Pandey said. He said the accused broke the store’s lock and cut through the window grill to gain access, and made off with close to eight kg of gold jewellery. “He hid behind a banner taken from Ambernath railway station while entering the store.”
Police said they are interrogating the accused for the whereabouts of the remaining jewellery.