Gujarat resident brought young cousins to city, trained them to commit the crime
Accused Kareena Chetan Pawar. The police are also looking for two of her cousins
A woman from Ahmedabad brought her young siblings and cousins to Mumbai and allegedly trained them to steal from shops in the guise of begging. The 21-year-old accused, Kareena Chetan Pawar, and her ‘bachha’ gang that was recently busted have taken away laptops, mobiles and cash from their victims, said the Andheri police.
The police said Pawar came to Mumbai two years back. She also shifted 4-5 cousins, aged between 5 and 17 years, to the city. They lived under a railway station bridge at Dadar West.
Pawar taught her underage accomplices to divert the attention of the staff and customers at stores in the guise of begging and steal from there, said the police.
The gang’s luck ran out after they targeted a beauty parlour at Koteshwar Apartment at Jiva Mahale Road in Andheri East on February 4.
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Complainant Gita Saravya, who runs the parlour, said the woman and kids entered her premises and started asking for money.
While Pawar diverted her attention, one of the children stole a laptop. By the time she realised the theft, the gang was gone.
Sub-inspector Digambar Pagar of Andheri police station said CCTV footage showed that the thieves boarded an auto and moved toward Jogeshwari railway station. “After reaching the station, the gang took a train to Bhayandar. The timing of the crime suggested that they operated between 9 and 10 am,” he said.
The police tracked down Pawar and the kids at Bhayandar station. “Pawar has been remanded in custody for 14 days. We have sent the kids to a remand home. We also found that the gang also struck at shops in Santacruz, Bandra, Khar, Bhayandar, Andheri and Dahisar.”
While Pawar was with her siblings, a 6-year-old boy, a 17-year-old girl and another girl, when they were exposed, cops said they are looking for two more cousins of hers.
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