02 July,2026 10:47 PM IST | Navi Mumbai | Abhitash Singh
The police have recovered gold jewellery worth Rs 9.61 lakh and two motorcycles collectively worth around Rs 2 lakh, taking the total recovery to Rs 11.61 lakh. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In a cross-state manhunt that stretched from Rajasthan to Maharashtra, the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch arrested two notorious history-sheeters allegedly involved in a string of house break-ins and chain-snatching cases, solving 11 offences and recovering stolen valuables worth over Rs 11.61 lakh.
The accused have been identified as Yusuf Rashid Sheikh alias Deepak alias Rahul (42), who was tracked down and arrested from Ajmer, Rajasthan, and Naushad Mushtaq Alam alias Sagar (32), who was nabbed from Mumbra, after police spent over two weeks tracing their movements.
According to the police, the duo had allegedly targeted locked homes across Navi Mumbai before fleeing the city and constantly changing locations to evade arrest. Investigators analysed CCTV footage, tracked their movements through technical surveillance, and relied on intelligence inputs before zeroing in on the accused.
The police said Sheikh is a history-sheeter with 51 criminal cases registered against him across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, and the Mira-Bhayandar-Vasai-Virar region. His criminal record includes house break-ins, chain-snatching, bag lifting, and vehicle theft. He had reportedly been released on bail in February.
His alleged accomplice, Alam, also has an extensive criminal record, with 32 cases registered against him in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Thane districts, including house break-ins, theft, and chain-snatching. He was released on bail earlier this year, police said.
The breakthrough came when the crime branch was probing a burglary registered at Koparkhairane Police Station, where gold jewellery and cash worth Rs 19.57 lakh had been stolen from a flat. During interrogation, the duo allegedly confessed to their involvement in 11 offences, including nine house break-ins and two chain-snatching cases across Koparkhairane, Kharghar, Panvel Taluka, Badlapur, Vashi, Narpoli, and Bazarpeth police station limits.
The police have recovered gold jewellery worth Rs 9.61 lakh and two motorcycles collectively worth around Rs 2 lakh, taking the total recovery to Rs 11.61 lakh.
The accused are currently in police custody, and further investigations are underway to ascertain their involvement in other unsolved property offences, officials said.
