Mumbai Crime Branch officials were shocked when they found that a culprit who they had nabbed for attempting to rob a businessman was also the man responsible for stealing a service pistol from a police official during last year's Ganpati immersion celebrations at Juhu beach
Yesterday, the Mumbai Crime Branch (CB) Unit XII arrested a history sheeter by the name of Vadivel Ponnudurrai Devendra. Acting on a tip-off that he was planning to rob the house of a businessman in Juhu, one of the CB team members, befriended Vadivel and gained his trust. Vadivel disclosed his plan to the cop, following which he was arrested.
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During interrogations, Vadivel disclosed that he had stolen a service pistol from a woman officer from a public toilet during Ganesh immersion last year. “Not only did he steal the gun but he also fired four rounds from it.
Later, he entered the Juhu airport premises and hid the gun there. He also revealed that during the visarjan he was with his friends in an inebriated condition. We are now looking for his friends who were his accomplices in the crime,” said Senior Inspector (Unit XII), Mumbai Crime Branch Milind Khetle.
The authorities are also investigating how Vadivel entered the airport and was able to hide a gun in the premises. “He has several criminal cases against him. We are investigating why he entered the airport, as this is a major concern,” added a well-placed officer from the Crime Branch.
The back story
In October 2012, a woman police officer lost her service revolver when she went to answer nature’s call. According to the authorities, the officer had left the revolver on the window, when it went missing. PSI Ranjana Salunkhe attached to the Juhu police station had been deployed at Juhu beach for the Ganpati immersions. Realising she had lost it, she immediately informed the Santacruz police and a case of theft was registered under Section 380 of the IPC.u00a0