The Thane Police Crime Branch has arrested one of the six people who had executed an armed robbery at the Bhiwandi residence of a businessman last month.
According to Crime Branch officers, the complainant, a real estate developer who also works in the warehousing business, had gone out for a morning walk when the robbers struck on January 30.
“Four people barged in, each armed with a handgun, and held his wife, daughter and domestic help at gunpoint. They bound and gagged all the captives and robbed the house of cash and valuables worth ₹1.68 crore. They then fled with two others, who were keeping watch outside,” an officer said.
The officer said a complaint was registered at Narpoli police station and the Crime Branch was instructed to conduct parallel investigations into the matter. A joint team of officers and constables from the Central Unit and Property Cell was formed to probe the case.
“We obtained preliminary information from local informants, and developed it further using cellular location and analysis of CCTV camera footage to map the movements of the accused. On Monday, we traced and arrested one of them,” the officer said.
Preliminary inquiries with the accused, Dharmesh Vaishnav (38), a Navi Mumbai resident, have indicated that the gang kept a watch on the victim’s residence for several days to acquaint themselves with his daily routine.
“We found a bag in Mr. Vaishnav’s possession which contained gold jewellery worth ₹1.26 crore. The cash that they took is in the possession of the other accused and efforts are under way to trace and apprehend them,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, Thane Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar has declared a cash reward of ₹50,000 for the investigating team for its speedy detection of the case and recovery of the stolen valuables.