Thief who made a Bollywood style escape attempt, rearrested

Inspired probably by some Bollywood movie, a 44-year-old man, arrested in connection with the theft of a car, tried to escape from a police jeep by jumping into Mithi river in Kurla on Tuesday. However he was apprehended.

According to Antop Hill police, Mahendrakumar Shrestha, working as a driver in a house in Antop Hill area, was arrested in connection with stealing his employer's car. After being caught, Shrestha confessed to the crime and told the police that he had sold the car to a scrap dealer in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).

A police team then escorted Shrestha to the shop where he had allegedly sold the car, to recover the stolen property. As the police stopped their vehicle on CST Road along Mithi river, Shrestha told them the scrap shop was nearby. A few officers then went looking for the shop, and a few waited with Shrestha in the jeep.

Shrestha then told the cops that he urgently wanted to answer the call of nature. "A police man then escorted the handcuffed Shrestha to answer nature's call. But seeing an opportunity, he pushed the policeman aside and jumped into the river and hid near one of the pillars of the bridge," said an officer of Kurla police station, which registered a fresh case against Shrestha.

Shrestha was completely covered by sludge after he had jumped into the river. "He tried to hide near a pillar, but the police and locals hounded him out," said Vinod Shinde, senior police inspector in Kurla Police station.
A fresh case has been registered against Shrestha under section 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) of the Indian Penal Code.