Mumbai thief part of gang that robbed Muthoot Finance in 2016

Mumbai: Two city-based men have been arrested by Mumbai crime branch for alleged involvement in the robbery perpetrated by a group of six men posing as CBI officers at private firm, Muthoot Finance’s safe in Hyderabad on December 28 last year. Of the two, Laxman Rawat, 45, alias Mudhang participated in the robbery while the other facilitated it. Along with the duo, police also arrested a city-based jeweller who had been tasked with selling the booty – 42kg gold – for a commission.

Acting on a tip-off that the robbers were expected to meet somewhere in Sion, three bike-borne crime branch men kept a watch there. The three accused arrived on two bikes but smelling a rat, they sped off to Dharavi and then Kurla, with the crime branch men in hot pursuit. After an hour-long late-night chase involving 20 crime branch officials, joint teams of unit V of the anti-robbery and dacoity cell nabbed the trio. Interrogation revealed that the three were involved in the Hyderabad case. Police also recovered 4kg of the stolen 40kg gold which is worth around Rs 1.13 crore.

Rawat aka Mudhang had a well-oiled network in Mumbai owing to his past robbery cases here. He had been selling the stolen gold to a Kalbadevi-based jeweller identified as Kumar Shah, 45. The third accused was identified as Raju, who acted as a facilitator.