Mumbai police chance upon 2 killers while taking thief to lock-up

MUMBAI: Two men who fled after stabbing and robbing an auto-rickshaw driver in Andheri (W) were nabbed by a Dahisar police team heading to a police lock-up with a thief early on Sunday. Sub-inspector Chandrakant Gharge and constable Chandrakant Shirsat, who were in a police vehicle, got suspicious when they found Mohammed Ansari (20) and Naved Idrasi (18) in an auto trying to hide on seeing them.

When police intercepted the auto at Ambawadi, near Sudhir Phadke Bridge, they noticed blood stains on their shirts under the dim streelights. "My staff chased the auto, when the duo told the driver to turn to S V Road. Their interrogation led to the detection of an attempt to murder and robbery that the duo committed a few hours earlier. We recovered Rs370 and a mobile they robbed from an auto driver, who they had stabbed before fleeing. The blood-soaked knife and stolen booty have been handed to our counterparts in Juhu," said Dahisar police senior inspector Vasant Pingale.

Gharge and Shirshat, who had gone to Bhusawal, were returning to the police station at night with Moinnuddin Shaikh (40), wanted in more than eight cases of theft and house break-ins in Dahisar. "Police, after Shaikh's medical check-up, were heading to the lock-up, when they saw the duo. They warned the two not to try to escape while they chased them after the offence in Andheri. On seeing the policemen, the duo panicked and told the auto driver to take a U-turn from below the bridge and take S V Road, but the police vehicle chased them and they were nabbed," said police.

Their interrogation revealed that on Saturday midnight, they had stopped auto driver, Rakeshkumar Gupta (33), in Andheri (W). "They confessed they had a fight with Gupta before one of them slashed him on his chest, head and shoulder. They fled after robbing him. A passing vehicle alerted police, who rushed to the spot and got Gupta admitted to Cooper hospital," said a Juhu police officer.

The duo is now in custody for an attempt to murder case registered against them at Juhu police station. Senior inspector Pandrinath Wavhal said they were checking if the duo had a criminal history.