City crime branch sleuths arrested the culprits on Friday for allegedly robbing a man carrying diamonds worth Rs96 lakh and Rs2.3 lakh cash last month.
This four-member gang perhaps thought it was devising quite a foolproof film-style modus operandi to commit robberies; it, however, failed to last beyond a few months.
City crime branch sleuths arrested the culprits on Friday for allegedly robbing a man carrying diamonds worth Rs96 lakh and Rs2.3 lakh cash last month.
Among the arrested quartet — Sudhir Raibhan, Mohammad Yusuf Ibrahim Shaikh, Abdul Jabbar Aziz Shaikh and Qayyum Qureshi — one was called 'machine', one 'chhappar' and two 'rokeys'. And this is how they worked: the machine, so called for being the brain behind the act (if he fails, the attempt fails), would be the one committing the robbery; the chhappar's responsibility would be to give cover to machine, engaged in the act, while the two rokeys' (stoppers') job would be to come between the victim and the machine so as to delay/stop the former from reaching the latter.
According to joint commissioner of police (crime) Atulchandra Kulkarni, on January 27, one Mohanlal Gokhru, who works in a reputed diamond firm, was travelling in BEST bus 517 from Chembur to Vashi when some unknown men snatched his bag containing the cash and diamonds and fled. It is believed that hawala operators having their business between Chembur and Vashi travel on route 517, and that's who the gang was said to be targeting.
Gokhru then registered a case with the VB Nagar police. The Chembur unit of crime branch initiated a parallel probe in the matter, said additional commissioner of police KMM Prasanna.
The police started their investigation, getting details of those having record of pickpocketing and bag-lifting, and kept a watch on their activities, said assistant commissioner of police Praful Bhosale.
"We came across a newly formed gang involved in the VB Nagar case. On Friday, we nabbed all gang members near Deonar bus depot. They have confessed to the crime. We have recovered stolen diamonds worth Rs84 lakh from them," said senior inspector Pravin Tejale.
Speaking about the gang's modus operandi, assistant inspector Sanjay Bhapkar said, "The gang members operate between 9.30am and 12pm when the buses are crowded. They then pickpocket and snatch valuables from commuters' bags."
"The four couldn't figure out what to do with the diamond-studded jewellery. They were hoping for hawala cash as those robbed of that aren't likely to approach the police because the money is unaccounted for," said an officer.
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