The Anti-Robbery and Dacoity Unit of Mumbai Crime Branch on Saturday arrested a gang of two who allegedly used to offer a lift in a cab for people in remote areas of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane and
The Anti-Robbery and Dacoity Unit of Mumbai Crime Branch on Saturday arrested a gang of two who allegedly used to offer a lift in a cab for people in remote areas of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane and robbed them in a moving car.
According to officials the accused have been identified as Praveen Mahadev Helkar and Suresh Omprakash Singh. The accused have prior criminal records.
Crime Branch officials said the duo used to hire private cabs and then threaten the driver to do as they told him to. “They would then roam around Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane and would offer lift to needy passengers to loot them. They also targeted sophisticated people who looked rich and were waiting for transport in calm areas. Sometimes they also dragged them inside the cab to rob them at gun-point,” an official said.
Crime Branch on Friday got a tip off that these accused were coming to Mulund for a robbery and decided to lay a trap to arrest them. They were arrested from Mulund area on Saturday.
More than 10 cases have been registered against the duo in different police stations like Matunga, Vikroli, Pant Nagar, Mulund and Agripada, an official said. He added that there are more than 25 serious offences filed against them.
Helkar, a resident of Thane, had been released from jail last year after being imprisoned for seven years in a serious case, said a Crime Branch official.
