Mumbai woman plots burglary for ‘brother’, both held in Malad

The woman (kneeling on right) and her ‘brother’ (kneeling on left) after being arrested by Charkop police. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A woman orchestrated a house burglary allegedly to help her financially struggling "brother," leading to both landing behind bars. Moved by the man's poor financial condition, she targeted a well-off neighbour in Charkop, Malad and facilitated a theft at the house, stealing 240 grams of gold ornaments, worth over Rs 34 lakh. While the woman had hoped the stolen gold would give the man a fresh start, the Charkop police cracked the case within days, arresting the duo and recovering all the stolen items.

Case leading to arrest

The incident came to light after Charkop resident Mohini Shrikrishna Chaudhary, 40, approached the police on April 13. Chaudhary reported that on the night of April 12, unidentified persons broke into her residence while the house was empty and stole a safe containing gold ornaments weighing 240 grams. A case was registered; acting under the guidance of DCP Sandeep Jadhav and Senior Inspector Vinayak Chauhan, Crime Detection Officer PSI Aba Pawar launched an immediate probe.

Investigation and recovery

Using technical surveillance and route analysis, police identified the accused as Amul Lokhande, a resident of Taliye village in Satara district. A special team tracked and arrested him from his residence with the assistance of local police. During interrogation, Lokhande confessed to the crime and revealed that the stolen safe was hidden at a relative's house. Police recovered the safe, finding all the stolen valuables intact.

Woman's role probed

Further investigation exposed involvement of a 36-year-old woman, Lokhande described as his "sister". She was Chaudhary's neighbour and frequented her home. When Chaudhary left for Sindhudurg with her son, the woman called Lokhande to Mumbai. Using a duplicate key, he entered the house, stole the safe, and fled.

CDR links duo

When the woman failed to cooperate, police examined her Call Detail Record (CDR), which revealed frequent communication with Lokhande. On the day of the crime, both their locations were traced to Charkop.

Stolen items recovered

Mangalsutra 90 g
Mangalsutra 10 g
Two gold bangles 30 g
Gold necklace 40 g
Gold necklace 20 g
Four pairs of gold
earrings 50 g