1 week Ago
Pune: Two burglars were arrested by the Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch recently, leading to the detection of 11 recent burglaries in Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Nashik. The nabbed duo—identified as Salim Shaikh (58) and Ajut Pillai (42), both from Vangani town in Thane district— have criminal recordswith the Mumbai police. While Shaikh has 62 burglary cases registered against him with 10 non-bailable warrants issued, his accomplice Pillai, an MSc graduate, has 20 such cases filed in his name.
"Pillai used to search for office addresses in commercial complexes on the internet. The duo would then struck during night hours," senior police inspector Arvind Pawar of the Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch told TOI. Pawar said that after a series of burglaries at three offices in Kalewadi's Kokane Chowk on April 6, his team checked over 400 CCTV cameras and ascertained the identities of the duo.
"We took them into custody in Kalewadi on April 20. We found equipment used for house break-ins from the duo," Pawar said. Modus of the Duo Pawar said 58-year-old Shaikh was involved in burglaries for 30 years.
Within seconds, he could cut door locks and steal cash. Pillai, well-educated and from an army background, started burglaries while his father was posted in Gujarat. The family then shifted to Mumbai.
"While lodged in Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, Pillai met Shaikh. After their release, they started committing burglaries together," Pawar said. The officer said as they were infamous in Mumbai, they shifted focus to Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nashik.
"They only targeted offices in commercial complexes and malls. They stole only cash and avoided gold jewellery as it is not easy to sell," the officer said. Pawar said as the duo used internet to identify exact addresses of commercial complexes in cities outside Mumbai.
"To avoid being tracked by police, the duo travelled by bus. They would change buses and even autorickshaws to reach their destination," Pawar said. He said they targeted offices on upper floors to avoid the attention of security guards, who are mainly deployed on ground floors.
"Before committing the burglary, they switched off their cellphones. Shaikh broke the locks in seconds and they took cash from these offices and returned to Vangani by bus," he said. Pawar said that the police detected 11 burglaries, including six registered with the Pimpri Chinchwad police, two by Pune police and one each by Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Nashik police.
"We are planning to book the duo under organised crime sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)," Pawar said. Pune: Two burglars were arrested by the Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch recently, leading to the detection of 11 recent burglaries in Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Nashik. The nabbed duo—identified as Salim Shaikh (58) and Ajut Pillai (42), both from Vangani town in Thane district— have criminal recordswith the Mumbai police.
While Shaikh has 62 burglary cases registered against him with 10 non-bailable warrants issued, his accomplice Pillai, an MSc graduate, has 20 such cases filed in his name. "Pillai used to search for office addresses in commercial complexes on the internet. The duo would then struck during night hours," senior police inspector Arvind Pawar of the Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch told TOI.
Pawar said that after a series of burglaries at three offices in Kalewadi's Kokane Chowk on April 6, his team checked over 400 CCTV cameras and ascertained the identities of the duo. "We took them into custody in Kalewadi on April 20. We found equipment used for house break-ins from the duo," Pawar said.
Modus of the Duo Pawar said 58-year-old Shaikh was involved in burglaries for 30 years. Within seconds, he could cut door locks and steal cash. Pillai, well-educated and from an army background, started burglaries while his father was posted in Gujarat.
The family then shifted to Mumbai. "While lodged in Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, Pillai met Shaikh. After their release, they started committing burglaries together," Pawar said.
The officer said as they were infamous in Mumbai, they shifted focus to Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and Nashik. "They only targeted offices in commercial complexes and malls. They stole only cash and avoided gold jewellery as it is not easy to sell," the officer said.
Pawar said as the duo used internet to identify exact addresses of commercial complexes in cities outside Mumbai. "To avoid being tracked by police, the duo travelled by bus. They would change buses and even autorickshaws to reach their destination," Pawar said.
He said they targeted offices on upper floors to avoid the attention of security guards, who are mainly deployed on ground floors. "Before committing the burglary, they switched off their cellphones. Shaikh broke the locks in seconds and they took cash from these offices and returned to Vangani by bus," he said.
Pawar said that the police detected 11 burglaries, including six registered with the Pimpri Chinchwad police, two by Pune police and one each by Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Nashik police. "We are planning to book the duo under organised crime sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)," Pawar said..
