The Thane police has also recovered 661 gram gold and cash worth Rs 20 lakh from them.
A gang of 13 thugs, who would engage people in conversation, suggest religious remedies to change their fortune before scamning them of their money and jewels, has been arrested. The Thane police has also recovered 661 gram gold and cash worth Rs 20 lakh from them.
Since the month of June, the cops came across many cases where pedestrians were robbed by men as yet unidentified who would often involve them into a conversation. Some of the thieves pretended to be astrologers and conveniently predicted that their victims, who were mostly senior citizens, were going through one difficulty or another. At least twelve gullible citizens fell prey to their hoax, the police said.
"They would suggest the victims a remedy for their misfortune. They would take them to a nearby temple apparently to perform a small puja. They would ask them to remove all gold jewellery and walk 50 steps without looking back," said a cop from Thanenagar police station where 12 such cases were registered of a total of 32 across the far suburbs. "When the victims looked back after 50 steps, the thugs would be gone," he said.
The culprits often worked in pairs. They would talk to the senior citizens visiting ATMs to withdraw cash. And when they were not executing the temple ritual scam, they would sometimes manage to hand the victim fake currency notes before making an escape.
Various police stations in Thane have received 32 such cases of cheating and chain-snatching and the Thane cops formed four teams to nab the perpetrators. Through technical analysis, they managed to catch 13 who are from Mumbai, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Dombivli and even Gujarat.
Their names are Raj Shetty and Rameshkumar Jaiswal, Sanjay Mahangade from Mumbai, Vilas Dalvi, Dinesh Suradkar from Ulhasnagar, Mohammed Asif Mohammed Rafiq from Ambivli, Sharbon Islam from Mumbra, Shankar Murugehan from Dombivli, Pradip Patil from Kalyan, Krishnakumar Singh from Mulund, Arjun Salat and Arjun Marwadi from Gujarat.
While seven of them are in judicial custody, six are in police custody.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Jail")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}