20 April,2026 02:05 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
A probe into the matter is underway. Representational Pic
An employee at a powerloom unit allegedly stole raw materials worth Rs 21.89 lakh from a facility in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Monday.
Based on a complaint lodged by the factory owner, the Bhiwandi police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against Ashish Singh (35), a supervisor at the establishment, an official said, PTI.
According to police, Singh allegedly decamped with raw materials used in powerloom operations, worth Rs 21.89 lakh, from the factory in the wee hours of April 17.
A probe into the matter is underway, and a search has been launched for the accused, the official added, the news agency reported.
Under the cover of darkness, when Kandivali East's roadside fruit stalls fell silent, a thief, identified as Ravi Chaurasia, a Mira Road resident, would move in - not just to steal, but to stock his own business. For months, crates of the freshest and most expensive fruits vanished overnight, only to reappear 10 km away in Mira Road, where the accused allegedly sold them in plain sight from his own stall - until a trail of complaints by multiple local vendors and one auto-rickshaw led police straight to him.
The accused, Ravi Chaurasia, seen on CCTV during one of the alleged late-night fruit thefts in Kandivali East
Police said Chaurasia would target roadside stalls late at night, break them open, and steal large quantities of high-value fruits.
>> Theft carried out during late-night hours
>> Expensive fruits picked
>> Stock transported using an auto-rickshaw
>> Goods sold the next day
Approaching the stall: The accused, Ravi Chaurasia, is seen walking towards a fruit stall in Kandivali East during the alleged late-night theft; (centre) Attempting entry: The accused is seen trying to open the fruit stall
During interrogation, Chaurasia told police he transported the stolen fruits in his friend's auto-rickshaw to Mira Road, where he set up a stall and sold them for profit.
One of the complainants, a fruit vendor from Ramnagar in Kandivali East, reported a theft on the night of March 31, 2026.
>> Stock worth Rs 12,000 was stolen from a handcart parked outside a jewellery shop
>> The fruits were covered and secured overnight
>> The entire stock was found missing the next morning
>> Police said a similar theft had taken place earlier in the same area, where fruits worth nearly Rs 72,000 were stolen
Leaving the spot: The accused is seen walking away from the fruit stall after the alleged theft, as captured on CCTV
Investigators found that Chaurasia previously worked as an auto-rickshaw driver before starting a Chinese food stall in Mira Road.
It was during this time that he came into contact with another individual involved in fruit theft.
>> Initially sourced stolen fruits from a contact
>> Began selling them for profit
>> Later started committing thefts himself
>> Police said Chaurasia conducted late-night reconnaissance in an auto-rickshaw along with an accomplice, who is currently absconding, before targeting stalls.
>> A team led by API Yogesh Raut tracked the accused by identifying the auto-rickshaw used in the crimes.
>> The vehicle became the key lead, helping police trace Chaurasia through CCTV footage and local inputs.
>> He has since confessed to the offences, police said.
>> Chaurasia was produced before a local court, which remanded him to two days of police custody.
>> Further investigation is underway to trace his accomplice and assess the full scale of the thefts.
(With PTI inputs)
