Sleuths of the Mira Bhayandar- Vasai Virar (MBVV) police commissionerate have arrested two notorious thieves for their involvement in a spate of auto-rickshaw lifting and theft cases in and around the region. Alarmed by the sudden rise in chain snatching cases in the Vasai-Virar belt, Senior Police Inspector- Suresh Warade under the supervision of DCP (Zone III)- Prashant Waghunde apart from scanning footage captured by Close Circuit Tele-Vision (CCTV) cameras at crime scenes and possible getaway routes also intensified vigilance and activated their core informer network to get a clue about the culprits who were using auto-rickshaws to commit the thefts.
Based on a tip-off supported by advanced technical surveillance, the police team zeroed in on the duo who have been identified as- Chetan Surendra Vishwakarma (22) – a resident of Virar and his partner-in-crime- Abhijeet Prakash Hejib (19) who stayed in the Ayre Gaon area of Dombivali.
After rounds of sustained interrogation, the duo confessed to their involvement in 19 offences including nine auto-rickshaw lifting cases and ten snatching crimes committed by them in Virar, Manekpur, Arnala, Nallasopara, Kashimira and Malwani in Malad, police said.
Apart from recovering stolen ornaments worth around Rs. 6 lakhs, the investigating team also seized nine auto-rickshaws valued at Rs.3.19 lakh from the possession of the duo who have been remanded to custody. Further investigations were underway.