Two 'courier boys' rob senior citizen at knife-point, held

MUMBAI: Two persons, including a teenager, who posed as courier boys and robbed a senior citizen at knife-point at her Mira Road residence last week, have been arrested.

The crime branch (Kashimira unit) arrested Avinash Shukla (26) and Devendra Bhagwan (19) for robbing Pushpa Shukla (70) on July 23. Around 2pm, the two rang the door bell of her flat in Orchid building, Kashimira. Pushpa, who was alone at home, opened the door, when they forcibly entered and snatched her walker. They threatened her with a knife and made her sit on a sofa. They gagged her mouth with a tape, tied her limbs, and snatched her cellphone.

They took cash and valuables worth more than Rs 3 lakh from the bedroom and left after removing the tape. Her son Vikram untied her when he returned from work at night. She screamed for help after the robbers left but no one heard her. Vikram registered a complaint with Kashimira police.

Police examined CCTV footage of the building which captured images of the accused. Police obtained mobile locations in and around the building on the day of the crime and zeroed in on Avinash and Devendra, who had entered on their bike.

Avinash, from Andheri, and Devendra, from Virar, are petty criminals who have carried out similar crimes earlier.