5 held for Vile Parle gold heist

Mumbai Crime Branch sleuths have solved the sensational case wherein gold ornaments worth Rs1.46 crore were robbed in broad daylight at Vile Parle last month from the employee of a courier company. The police, on Tuesday, arrested five people, including a juvenile in this case.

One of the suspects had asked his friend to help him dispose of the gold. A police informer came to know of this and tipped off the police.

Joint commissioner of police, crime, Himanshu Roy, said, “Three of them were college students, while the other two are school dropouts. After the loot, the group decided to hide the booty as the gold ornaments were marked and could have been easily identified if sold. We have recovered around Rs1 crore worth stolen property.”

“On June 23, complainant Sanjay Sisodia, who works as a courier boy with New Ashok Courier Services, had gone to the airport to collect two consignments of gold ornaments and gold biscuits that had come from Delhi.” He was with his colleague Anil Sharma.

“While Sharma was waiting for one of the consignments to get clear from the airport, Sisodia had left with the other,” said additional commissioner Deven Bharti.

He added Sisodia’s autorickshaw was accosted by three bike-borne people. “They threatened him at gunpoint and fled with the bag.”