Police nabs gang that stole 25L from Covid gear trader

Less than a week after they robbed a 27-year-old trader dealing in Covid-19 gear and protection material, all nine members of the gang landed into the custody of the Crime Branch unit of the Mira Bhayandar- Vasai Virar (MBVV) for their involvement in the crime.

According to the police, the 27-year-old trader who lives in Andheri was lured to a hotel in Naigaon near Vasai by one of the accused under the pretext of offering Covid-19 protection material at cheaper than market prices. When the trader arrived at the place he was assaulted and robbed of Rs 25 lakh cash which he was carrying to buy the material. Two out of the nine accused impersonated as police personnel to threaten the trader. The police team under the guidance of DCP (Crime) Dr Mahesh Patil intensified vigilance in the area. Based on a tip-of f, the police apprehended all the accused from their hideout in Thane.

The trader was lured to a hotel in Naigaon by one of the accused under the pretext of offering Covid-19 protection material at a cheaper price.

The accused have been identified as Parth Jyotindra Jaani (26), Rabbani Mehboob Parel (28), Abdul Hamid Sayyed (35), Girish Srichand Valecha alias Manoharlal Patel (27), Imran Ahmed Shaikh (38), Smitesh Subhash Gavas (37), Suresh Gunaji Dalvi (33), Santosh Govind More (46) and Vinay Santosh Singh (41).