Mumbai: The Vashi police has arrested a female member of a gang of six which robbed a Navi Mumbai trader and his family of cash and valuables worth at least Rs 2.09 crore at gunpoint last Thursday. The local police has registered a case of dacoity against the woman who was arrested in Panvel.
Deputy commissioner of police (crime branch) Navi Mumbai, Tushar Doshi, said, “The Vashi police has arrested a woman who was involved in the heist. We have already sent two teams to different locations to nab other accused who have played the main role in this.”
The Navi Mumbai crime branch has circulated photographs of the six accused.
The incident occurred Friday noon when a young girl and a man reached the residence of Arun Menkudale, a businessman at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), Navi Mumbai.
The duo told Menkudale’s wife that they were there to deliver a Diwali gift. As soon as the woman opened the door, the duo and four others forced themselves into the house. Armed with revolvers and knives, they allegedly held Menkudale’s wife and daughter at gunpoint.
The accused then tied up the mother-daughter duo and began ransacking the house. They fled with cash worth over Rs 1 crore, ornaments and other valuables.
Vashi police officials said, “We had circulated a picture of the woman and acting on a tip-off on Sunday night, our team laid a trap to arrest her. She was hiding at a place we can’t disclose by changing her name. We are working on links to the other accused and will soon arrest them. The amount looted has not been recovered from the arrested woman.”
An officer from Vashi police said they had clear CCTV footage and could easily identify the rest of the accused.
He said that pictures had already been circulated to every police station and toll plaza.
