Bollywood-style heist on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway

The MiraBhayandar VasaiVirar MBVV police apprehended three individuals from the Waghri community in Surendranagar Gujarat who were involved in breaking into moving tempos along the MumbaiAhmedabad highway The accused would do odd jobs to disguise themselvesDuring the heist one of them would cling to the moving tempos break the lock with a mechanised handsaw or bolt cutter and pass the valuables to another accomplice who would collect them in a bag A third member would trail the tempo to conceal the daylight heist on the highwayAfter the daredevil heist cops said the trio would disappear in different directions like in the Bollywood movie DhoomCCTV screen grab of a vehicle being robbedThe trio have been identified as Nitesh alias Poya Dharmesh Butiya 36 Dileep alias Kalia Karsan Bhojia 28 and Bharat alias Mithiya Dhiru Butiya 38 They were arrested after a complainant approached Waliv police on February 16 with a complaint that a bag containing Rs 16 lakh had been stolen by some unknown men on the highwayThe police said that the gang was involved in many such incidents most of which have not even been registered ldquoThey would live in Mumbai and do odd jobs Nilesh would sell spices Bharat is a security guard and he also works in a salon whereas Dileep sells sarees in the marketrdquo said an officer attached to the Waliv police stationldquoThe trio would closely watch the delivery vans coming to the market where the wholesalers send groceries or valuables to retailers Once the delivery is done the retailers give money to the delivery van driver who would keep the money bag in the tempo lock it up behind and move aheadrdquo said the officerldquoThey would observe events from a distance tailing the tempo on a motorcycle Once it encountered a deserted stretch on the MumbaiAhmedabad highway one of them would attach themselves to the rear of the moving tempo particularly near a traffic signal or an elevated area near a flyoverrdquo explained the officerldquoThe individual on the motorcycle would act as a diversion during the daring heist on the highway while the third member would maintain vigilance from an autorickshawrdquo he elaboratedldquoThe person affixed to the moving tempo would utilise a bolt cutter or a mechanised handsaw to unlock the doorrdquo he addedldquoExecuting the same modus operandi on February 16 the trio successfully robbed a bag containing Rs 16 lakh cash which the driver had secured in the tempo after delivering goods to a retailer in Vasai Eastrdquo the officer said Following the registration of an FIR Deputy Commissioner of Police Pournima ChouguleShringi instructed the personnel at Waliv police station to swiftly resolve the crime In response Jayraj Ranaware the incharge of Waliv police station assembled led by API Sachin Sanap to investigate the matterldquoWe scanned CCTV footage and reached the criminals who were hiding in Limbdi taluka in Surendranagar district of Gujarat After committing the offence in broad daylight the trio would disappear in different directions just like the gang would go underground in the Bollywood movie Dhoom There are multiple FIRs registered against them at various police stations in Mumbai Navi Mumbai Thane and Palghar and Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar policerdquo said Sanap At present they are facing custodial interrogation and the cops said the involvement of others cannot be ruled out