Thane police have successfully apprehended a burglar involved in 48 cases, recovering a substantial amount of stolen gold and solving numerous housebreaking incidents in Maharashtra.
Key Points
- Thane police arrested Shivaji Gopal Sante, a resident of Titwala, for involvement in at least 48 burglary cases.
- Police recovered over one kilogram of stolen gold ornaments valued at approximately Rs 1.39 crore from the accused.
- The accused targeted houses in the Mumbra area, breaking in during the daytime.
- The crime branch investigation involved analysing CCTV footage and using technical surveillance to track the suspect.
- The arrest followed a burglary reported on February 8, leading to a 15-day investigation and the suspect's capture.
Police in Maharashtra's Thane have arrested a man allegedly involved in at least 48 cases of burglaries and recovered from him more than one kilogram of stolen gold ornaments valued at around Rs 1.39 crore, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference here, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amarsingh Jadhav said the accused, identified as Shivaji Gopal Sante (31), is a resident of Titwala east in Thane district.
He has been targeting houses in Mumbra area over the past few years, he said.
Several cases of house break-ins had been registered at the Mumbra police station in which an unidentified person was entering the locked houses during daytime by damaging bathroom window grills and door locks and decamping with gold and silver ornaments, Jadhav said.
Following instructions from senior officers, the unit-1 of the crime branch launched an investigation and tracked the suspect for nearly six months, he said.
Breakthrough in the Burglary Investigation
The breakthrough came during the probe into a burglary reported on February 8 this year at Sai Swapan Apartment in Narayan Bhagat Nagar in Diva East, where the lock and hinges of the main door of a locked house were broken and valuables were stolen.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Mumbra police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
During the investigation, the crime branch team analysed CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding areas.
"The accused used different modes of transport and deliberately travelled in opposite directions to avoid being traced on CCTV cameras," Jadhav said.
By studying multiple CCTV clips and using technical surveillance along with inputs from informants, the police tracked the suspect's movements and identified him. After about 15 days of continuous investigation, the police located and arrested Sante from Titwala East on March 2, the official said.
Confession and Recovery of Stolen Goods
During interrogation, the accused confessed to committing a series of housebreaking offences in Mumbra over the past three years.
"So far, 48 cases of housebreaking have been solved and 1.03 kilograms of gold ornaments worth Rs 1.39 crore stolen in the crimes have been recovered," Jadhav said.
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