15 August,2017 05:51 PM IST | Mumbai | Asif Rizvi
Nearly 15 years after notorious thief Nazir Shaikh alias Mamu was killed in the Mumbai Railway Police's first ever encounter, a series of thefts began to take place in his signature style
The ringleaders of the gang are suspected to be students of notorious thief Nazir Shaikh alias Mamu
The ringleaders of the gang are suspected to be students of notorious thief Nazir Shaikh alias Mamu
Nearly 15 years after notorious thief Nazir Shaikh alias Mamu was killed in the Mumbai Railway Police's first ever encounter, the cops were baffled when a series of thefts began to take place in his signature style, almost as if Shaikh's ghost was at work. Weeks later, the railway police have finally solved the mystery and arrested the real culprits - Shaikh's students.
The Bandra Railway Crime Branch has busted a gang of crooks who call themselves 'Jadu Company' (magic company) because they can make their victim's valuables disappear in less than three seconds. The 'Jadu' gang uses various code words like pole (for meeting), jaamneka (refers to the venue where they will assemble), Dhur (target) and lelo (call to action).
Cops recovered Rs 5 lakh worth of stolen items from the gang
Sources in the police said that the ringleaders, Sufiyan Shaikh alias Tippu and Chand alias Bhai, are suspected to be past students of Shaikh and are now using his modus operandi to pull off heists. Shaikh, a native of Solapur had over 40 cases of theft registered against him. He had been active in railway thefts from 1981 till his encounter in 2002 near Thane station.
Same modus operandi
The first victim was Palghar resident Saurabh Pawai, who was at Malad station on July 3 with a bag containing R55,000 in cash. Someone tapped his back and when he turned around, he realised his bag had disappeared. While the Borivli police registered the case, the railway crime branch's Bandra unit was also investigating a similar incident on July 11, when the complainant lost R45,000 in a similar manner. On August 3, the gang struck once again, when the light-fingered thieves made off with R12 lakh they had stolen from Hitesh Wakariya and his 50-year-old mother at Malad station.
Caught on camera
The crime branch went through the CCTV footage from the station and spotted eight suspicious men in tasteful clothes who were hiding their faces from the CCTV cameras. The Bandra officers studied their modus operandi and found the same suspects in the CCTV footage at Malad station as well.
An official said, "We had zeroed in on the suspects since the modus operandi was similar in all the cases. We activated the sources and learned that the gang was to assemble near a Bank in Malad east, which is close to the station. We laid a trap and nabbed four suspects on August 4. We are looking for the rest." The four arrested are Sachin Kunchikarwe alias Satya, Nikhil Deval alias Nawab, Adam Daktar alias Batla and Jabirali Sayed. They have been remanded to police custody till August 16.
Rs 5 lakh
Value of stolen items recovered
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