The Kherwadi police have arrested two men suspected to be behind a string of robberies on the Western Express Highway for the past one year. The duo was caught during a nakabandi. A third accused is absconding.
Additional nakabandis were set up along the highway after two men on a motorcycle snatched a bag from a woman who was travelling in an autorickshaw on December 30 last year. The same evening, a nakabandi team on the Bandra (East) stretch of the highway saw two men on a bike evade them. “Our team gave chase and caught one of them. His accomplice managed to flee,” said senior police inspector Rajendra Patil.
The accused, identified as Ashish Mavdiya (30), was arrested and his interrogation led the police to Mohammed Hussain Shaikh (34), a businessman in Bhendi Bazaar. The police said Mr. Mavdiya and his accomplice would snatch the belongings of people travelling in autorickshaws and Mr. Shaikh would help them sell the valuables.
“The cases of robbery on the Western Express Highway had shot up in the last year. The accused would mainly target women and people on their way to the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VIII) Anil Kumbhare said. The police have recovered 27 high-end cell phones, one gold chain and two passports from the duo. They have been remanded in police custody till Saturday.
Mr. Kumbhare said, “The trio was addicted to alcohol and turned to crime make money. They operated after nightfall to avoid being caught on CCTV cameras. They also kept two extra pairs of clothes with them. They changed their clothes immediately after committing a crime to prevent identification. They have several cases of robbery registered against them in Andheri, Vakola, Vile Parle, Juhu and Bandra police stations.”