Man Held At Mumbai Airport While Attempting To Flee To Dubai After ₹10 Lakh Theft In Mahabaleshwar's Oxygen Hotel

Mumbai: In a dramatic breakthrough, the Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Satara police foiled an attempted international escape and cracked a high-profile theft case involving a hotel in Mahabaleshwar. The primary accused, who had allegedly stolen luxury items worth Rs 10 lakh from Oxygen Hotel, was held at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport just before boarding a flight to Dubai.

According to a Lokmat Times report, the theft, which occurred between June 25 and June 28, involved electronic appliances, expensive furniture and kitchenware being stolen from the upscale Oxygen Hotel. Following the incident, Satara Superintendent of Police Tushar Doshi launched a swift investigation and assigned Police Inspectors Arun Devkar and Bapusaheb Sandbhor to lead a dedicated probe.

Special Police Team Held Accused Just Before Boarding Dubai Flight

Initial investigations pointed toward an inside job, raising suspicions about a hotel staffer’s involvement. Acting on critical intelligence, LCB Inspector Arun Devkar received a tip-off that the main suspect was attempting to flee the country. A special police team was immediately dispatched to Mumbai Airport. With support from Sahar Police, the team intercepted and arrested Kanchan Kaliprasad Banerjee, a resident of Nalasopara, just as he was checking in for his flight.

Upon interrogation, Banerjee admitted to the theft and disclosed that he had already sold the stolen goods to two scrap dealers in Satara. Based on his confession, the police arrested Karan Dashrath Ghadge from Ambawade Khurd and Gautam Suresh Jadhav from Saidapur, who had bought the stolen materials. Raids conducted at their warehouses led to the recovery of items worth Rs 10 lakh.

Stolen Goods Traced & Returned To Oxygen Hotel

In addition to the stolen goods, authorities also seized a truck and a tempo used to transport the items, pushing the total recovery value to Rs 17.9 lakh. The stolen items were traced back to Oxygen Hotel and have been returned.

The Mahabaleshwar Police and LCB’s swift coordination, aided by timely intelligence and cross-jurisdictional support, was crucial in solving the case. Legal proceedings have been initiated against all three accused, who are currently in police custody. Further investigations are underway to determine if more individuals were involved in the theft or its cover-up.

Published on: Thursday, July 10, 2025, 10:27 AM IST