Thane: The Thane crime branch busted a notorious inter-city burglary gang involved in a series of housebreakings and shop thefts across Maharashtra and Gujarat. With the arrest of four accused, the police claimed to solve at least 18 criminal cases registered in Thane city, Thane Rural, Mumbai and Kolhapur. The crackdown followed a burglary at Arthav Medical Shop and five adjoining establishments in the Naupada area. Acting on CCTV footage and technical intelligence, the Property Cell zeroed in on the suspects and traced their movements across cities, said a police officer.Those arrested were identified as Vinaykumar Krupashankar Paswan (21), Pradip Rambahadur Nishad (20), Rajvir Sanjusingh Lahori (19) and Salman Ali Ahmed Ali Sheikh (22), all residents of Ulhasnagar. While Nishad was apprehended from Bilimora in Gujarat, Sheikh was arrested from Dehu Road near Pune.“Investigations revealed that the gang used stolen autorickshaws and two-wheelers to reach their targets. They primarily targeted grocery stores and medical shops, forcing open shutters during late-night hours to steal cash and valuables,” said a police officer.During the operation, the Thane police recovered six mobile phones of various brands worth around Rs 1.2 lakh. The four accused are currently lodged in the custody of the Tilaknagar police station for further investigation into the crime.The successful operation was carried out under the guidance of deputy commissioner of police (crime) Amarsingh Jadhav and assistant commissioner of police Vinay Ghorpade.
