According to the police, the crime occurred on January 6 last year, when 36-year-old man and his nephew were travelling on a scooter carrying gold jewellery worth Rs 47.27 lakh
The police said that the main accused was identified as Kailash Mathura Suryawanshi alias KP. Pic/Mumbai Police
The mastermind in a sensational case involving the theft of gold worth Rs 47.27 lakh and a firing incident in south Mumbai last year has been arrested from Neral in Raigad district of Maharashtra after almost a year-long manhunt, a police official said on Friday.
According to the police, the crime occurred on January 6 last year, when 36-year-old man, Chirag Dhandukiya, and his nephew were travelling on a scooter carrying gold jewellery worth Rs 47.27 lakh.
They were intercepted by four men, who fired two rounds, injuring Dhandukiya’s nephew, and fled with the gold, the police said.
An analysis of CCTV footage from the area helped the Mata Ramabai Ambedkar (MRA) Marg police arrest four accused soon after the incident. However, the main accused and one associate managed to escape at that time, police said.
Main accused identified as habitual offender
The police said that the main accused was identified as Kailash Mathura Suryawanshi alias KP, a resident of Ulhasnagar in Thane district of Maharashtra.
"He is a habitual criminal who would form new gangs for each crime. Due to his criminal background, police invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case," said an official.
A tip suggested he would be visiting a doctor in Neral, leading to his arrest from the Bajarpeth area on January 6, the official said.
Gold, gun and cartridges recovered
Police recovered stolen gold worth Rs 12.91 lakh, along with a pistol and five live bullets, from the accused at the time of his arrest.
Accused linked to 35 serious crimes
According to the police, Suryawanshi is involved in at least 35 serious criminal cases registered across Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Dhule.
He is also an accused in another robbery case in which MCOCA had been invoked earlier, police officials said.
Teams tracked accused across states
An official said that a team of police officials searched for the accused in several states of the country, including Delhi, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
Police set up a special task force at the level of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-1, and searched for him but initial attempts were unsuccessful. The final breakthrough came after a tip-off received by Sub-Inspector Suraj Deore, which helped trace and arrest the accused, said an official.
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