Mumbai: Sleuths attached to the Navghar police station in Bhayandar have arrested a 32-year-old auto-rickshaw thief who adopted a unique modus operandi to fund his addiction to drugs.
According to the police the accused who has been identified as-Shashikant Mallesh Kamnor (32) -a native of Gulbarga in Karnataka who was currently living on a pavement in Borivali stole rickshaws and used to ferry late night passengers in and around the region.
Once the vehicle ran out of fuel, he would abandon it and walk away with the earnings which he used to fund his addiction to drugs. Alarmed by the rising cases of auto-rickshaw thefts in the region, senior police inspector- Dhiraj Koli under the supervision of DCP (crime)- Prakash Gaikwad intensified vigilance and deputed teams to scan footages captured by closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the theft spots and possible getaway routes.
After spotting a suspect in some of the footage, the team activated its core informer network. Based on a tip-off, the team apprehended Kamnor after he was found loitering in the IC colony area of Borivali west. Notably, the accused landed into police custody within 24 hours after he stole an auto-rickshaw from the Navghar Road area on 18, March.
It emerged that the accused was addicted to drugs and would target auto-rickshaws parked by the drivers at unguarded places after the end of their shifts.
After sustained interrogations, the accused confessed to his involvement in auto-rickshaw theft cases committed by him under the jurisdictions of the Navghar police station in Bhayandar and M.H.B police station in Borivali.
The police team recovered seven stolen auto-rickshaws worth Rs.7.69 lakh which will be handed over to their rightful owners after necessary verifications.
Meanwhile an offence under section 379 of the IPC has been registered against the accused who has been remanded to custody. Further investigations were underway.
