Mumbai Crime: Man ‘cons’ woman into joining him for theft

A screenshot of the CCTV footage shows Pinky Singh with the accused (in blue shirt) in the shop

The Shivaji Nagar police arrested a 36-year-old woman on February 4 for allegedly stealing jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh from a shop at Govandi with an unidentified person. Her husband, however, claims that she is a victim, as the man offered her a job as a housemaid, and on the pretext of taking her to a job placement agency at Panvel, took her to the Govandi shop.

According to the police, the woman, Pinky Singh, and her husband Dilip, told them he had met the accused a couple of years back in the Gauhati Express. Dilip said the accused introduced himself as a jeweller, and took his mobile number. After that he would often call him. "I have forgotten his name. On February 3 he told me that he had come to Mumbai but his workers locked his flat at Santacruz and asked if he could come over to my house. I let him," said Dilip.

Dilip claimed that he told him Pinky needed a job. She worked as a maid and due to the lockdown, had lost her job.

‘Lured her with job offer'
He claimed the accused told him a senior citizen couple at Lokhandwala needed a housemaid and she would get a Rs 17,000-Rs 18000 salary. Dilip also claimed that the accused told him the job placement agency for the same was at Panvel and they could go there next day. However, Dilip was not able to take Pinky there then.

Dilip said, "He told me he would take my wife to Panvel for document submission. But once they reached Govandi he took her to the jewellery shop. There he asked for some jewellery for trial and wore a gold chain, ring, and bracelet. Then he stepped out to attend a phone call and didn't return. My wife was waiting for him. She has been wrongly arrested."

Dilip also said when the accused stayed with them, he took his mobile phone to play games and deleted his number. The day they went to Panvel, Dilip claimed when he didn't find that number in his phone, he called his wife and asked him for it, but that person refused to give it.

‘Gang could be involved'
"Many such incidents have taken place in the city and we suspect there is a gang which targets jewellery shops. We have arrested accused Pinky Singh who entered the shop with the main accused and stole jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh. On the basis of the jeweller's complaint, we registered the FIR. We are interrogating her," said Navnath Kale assistant inspector, Shivaji Nagar police station. Pinky is in judicial custody.