Mira Bhayandar: The crime branch unit (Zone III) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police have arrested a notorious auto-rickshaw thief who adopted a unique modus operandi to fund his addiction to liquor.
Alarmed by the spate of auto-rickshaw thefts in the Mira Road-Virar belt, the crime branch unit led by police inspector-Shahuraj Ranaware activated their informer network.
Acting on a tip-off, the team arrested the accused who has been identified as-Sanjay Lalman Yadav (28)- a resident of Nallasopara. Yadav had stolen an unguarded auto-rickshaw from the Ambedkar Nagar area of Nallasopara (east) on the night of 14, April.
During investigations the team learnt that Yadav used the stolen rickshaws to ferry passengers-especially during the night. Once the vehicle ran out of fuel, he would abandon it and coolly walk into some bar to have booze with the earnings.
“In a couple of cases he even removed spare parts including tyres from the vehicles and sold them off.” said an investigating officer. Further investigations revealed his involvement in eight vehicle lifting cases committed by him in Nallasopara, Bhayandar, Vasai and Dahisar.
Yadav was earlier arrested by the Navghar police and sent to jail in 2022. After his release on bail, Yadav spent some time in his village, before returning to the city and continuing with his nefarious activities. Based on information provided by the accused, the police recovered three auto-rickshaws from various parts of the city.
Meanwhile an offence under section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita has been registered at the Tulinj police station against Yadav who has been remanded to custody. Not ruling out his involvement in more cases of theft, the Tulinj police are conducting further investigations.
