A gang of four members, suspected to be a couple and their two children, broke into two shops in Palghar on Tuesday. One of the shops belonged to a cake manufacturing unit, where the accused broke into the shutter using an iron rod and pulled it up to make narrow way to sneak into the shop.

"The gang members pretended to be rag pickers and carried a sack at the time of the crime. The man first broke into the cake shop, ate a few cakes and picked up a few for his accomplices, apparently his wife and two children, and came out of the shop discreetly. The shop owner has incurred a loss of Rs. 500," said investigating officer PSI Ramesh Palve of Palghar police station.