The crime branch unit (II) of Pune police claimed on Friday that the number of cases solved following the recent arrests of five members of an inter-state gang of burglars has reached 47.
They said that the gang members have admitted to have committed burglaries at several shops in various parts of the city over the past two years.
The police, who have also arrested two jewellers for purchasing the stolen booty, claimed to have recovered gold estimated to be worth Rs21.25 lakh from them.
The arrested burglars include Rupesh Kachi (30) of Bibvewadi, Zuber alias Samir Khan (30), a native of Gujarat who resided in Bibvewadi, and Manoj alias Manya Bhavsar (30) of Dandekar Bridge area.
The arrested jewellers are Goparam Hemtaji Prajapati of Krishna Jewellers and Praveen Devichand Jain (51) of Gumanmal and Sons in Raviwar Peth.
Acting on a tip-off received by assistant police inspector Rajendra Jagdale of crime branch unit (II), a police team led by inspector Sunil Patil laid a trap at Dandekar Bridge area and arrested the gang members.
Deputy commissioner of police (crime branch) Rajesh Bansode told reporters that the two arrested jewellers had bought stolen ornaments from the thieves.
“The arrested thieves are history-sheeters. Kachi has nine previous case of house break-ins against him and he had been charged under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in 2007. Khan was involved in thefts since childhood and has 10 cases against him in Aurangabad, Pune and Gujarat. Bhavsar has four cases,” Bansode said.
The police officer said, “Kachi sold the stolen ornaments to the jewellers who melted and converted them into gold bricks. We have recovered 720 gm gold and 270 gm silver, totally valued at Rs21.25 lakh, from them. Khan told us that he has also sold some ornaments to Manishkumar Navinchandra Soni of Manish Jewellers in Gujarat. He will be arrested soon.”
According to the police, the 47 solved house break-ins include four each from Bibvewadi, Sahakarnagar, Pune Cantonment, one each from Market Yard, Swargate, Dattawadi, Shivajinagar, Vimannagar, Koregaon Park, 11 from Sangvi, seven from Yerawada, three each from Warje Malwadi and Kothrud and two each from Bund Garden and Bharati Vidyapeeth.
Assistant commissioner of police (crime-I) Rajendra Bhamre said, “All the accused had met each other while they were in Yerawada jail. They have been remanded in police custody till Monday.”
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