Mumbai: A thief who used to climb narrow building pipes like spider-man to commit several thefts has finally been caught by the Malad Police. He constantly changed his disguise to evade capture. Though he had stolen from many locations in the western suburbs, he had never been caught—until now.
The police said that with the money from his crimes, he purchased land worth ₹10 lakhs in his native village in Bihar and a room in Malvani for ₹6 lakhs.
The accused has been identified as Ranjit Kumar Singh, alias Munna, 44. He resides in Malvani, and his native place is Babuaganj, Bihar. The accused was arrested on May 31 and was remanded to police custody until June 5.
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The police have seized 36 tolas of gold ornaments, diamonds, 1 kg of silver, and ₹13 lakhs from him. Eight robbery cases have been registered against him at various police stations across the western suburbs in the past.
According to the police, the thief had created panic in Malad, Kandivali, Borivali, Dindoshi and nearby suburbs. He would scale the pipes of buildings, enter homes through windows, and steal valuables within minutes. During the thefts, he would completely cover his face to avoid being captured on CCTV. He left behind no clues that could be used to identify him.
On March 17, he climbed to the first floor of a building in Malad and stole valuables worth ₹4.5 lakhs. CCTV footage was found by the Malad Police, but as usual, his face was fully covered, concealing his identity.
The police reviewed over 150 CCTV recordings in the area and eventually traced his movements. However, he escaped towards the railway tracks, and the trail went cold. After this incident, similar thefts occurred in Malad, Kandivali, Dindoshi, Borivali, and other areas.
It was discovered that the same individual was responsible for all of them. Still, there were no concrete leads. Each time the police tried to identify him using CCTV footage, he would vanish near the railway tracks. Suspecting that the thief might be hiding in the area in disguise, the police began patrolling the railway vicinity in plain clothes for 17 consecutive days.
Further CCTV analysis on the Malad-Malvani road revealed that he frequented the Rathodi area and used to exit from the Rathodi main road. As a result, Police Sub-Inspector Tushar Sukhdeve and Crime Branch teams laid a trap. After two days of surveillance, they successfully arrested him.
The accused, Ranjit Kumar Singh alias Munna was constantly changing his appearance to dodge the police. At times, he dressed as a woman, wore a burqa, or posed as a delivery boy. His skill in disguising himself made it extremely difficult to identify him.
Anand Bhoite, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-11, stated, “The accused, Ranjit Kumar Singh, had never been caught before. He committed thefts in Malad, Kandivali, Borivali, Dindoshi, and other areas at least eight times.”
In addition to the cash and jewelry recovered, the police also seized a gold-melting machine from his home. He had been melting stolen gold at home for disposal. However, he lacked the ability to distinguish between real and fake gold. Some gold was even recovered from the dustbin in his residence.
This operation was carried out by Police Sub-Inspector Tushar Sukhdeve of the Crime Branch, under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Vijaykumar Panhale of Malad Police Station, Police Inspector Mahendra Ghag, Police Inspector Sanjay Bedwal (Crime), and their team.
