In a significant breakthrough, the CBD Belapur police have apprehended two individuals involved in the theft of auto rickshaws and scooters, solving a total of 17 cases across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The accused, identified as Ashraf Alam Sheikh (21) and Ramzan Abdulmateen Sheikh alias Papa (22), were arrested in connection with the thefts, and the police successfully recovered 12 stolen auto rickshaws and one scooter from them.

Notably, one of the suspects, Ashraf Sheikh, had recently escaped from jail while facing charges related to an auto-rickshaw theft.

The duo came under police scrutiny following the theft of an Activa scooter from the Income Tax Colony area in CBD Belapur on January 5. A complaint was registered at the CBD Belapur police station, and under the leadership of Senior Police Inspector Sandesh Revale, the Crime Detection Squad, comprising Police Inspector Arun Pawar, Assistant Police Inspector Suresh Dambre, and Police Sub-Inspector Vishnu Wagh, worked tirelessly to crack the case.

The team analyzed footage from 55 CCTV cameras in and around the crime scene, eventually identifying the suspects. Both accused were traced to the Tatanagar slum in CBD Belapur and subsequently arrested.

Upon interrogation, Ashraf and Ramzan admitted to their involvement in the scooter theft and further confessed to stealing auto rickshaws from various locations, including CBD Belapur, Kharghar, Kalamboli, Ulwe, Vashi, and Panvel in Navi Mumbai, as well as Nehrunagar, Pantnagar, Bandra, and Khar in Mumbai.

According to Pankaj Dahane, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-1), the two accused have been linked to 17 crimes, including vehicle theft and other offenses, across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

The writer is a freelancer