According to police sources, Sakharkar, a repeat offender, previously lived with his wife, two children, mother, and brother in Virar. He also maintained relationships with two girlfriends. Due to frequent arrests, he shifted to Silvassa and has been staying in a rented apartment (Room No 11, 2nd Floor, Gurudev Society) for the past 4 to 6 months
Atish Dattaram Sakharkar, the accused, in police custody
The Malad police have arrested a habitual housebreaker from Silvassa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, identified as Atish Dattaram Sakharkar, 36, who is accused of committing over 60 housebreaking cases across Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar, Thane, and Navi Mumbai since 2006.
According to police sources, Sakharkar, a repeat offender, previously lived with his wife, two children, mother, and brother in Virar. He also maintained relationships with two girlfriends. Due to frequent arrests, he shifted to Silvassa and has been staying in a rented apartment (Room No 11, 2nd Floor, Gurudev Society) for the past 4 to 6 months. He would routinely travel to Mumbai to commit burglaries and flee back to Silvassa immediately after executing the crimes.
His latest arrest is connected to a burglary reported in February 2025 at a house located in Rajdeep building in Malad West. Sakharkar allegedly broke into the complainant's residence and stole gold and silver valuables worth Rs 3.27 lakh, including bangles, earrings, mangalsutras, a chain, and a silver baby bracelet. During the investigation, local CCTV footage failed to provide a clear image due to poor lighting. The police then involved a forensic team, and fingerprints lifted from the crime scene matched police records, confirming Sakharkar’s identity.
Under the guidance of DCP Sandeep Jadhav (Zone 11) and Senior Inspector Vijaykumar Panhale, PSI Tushar Sukhdev led the detection team comprising Police Naiks Santosh Satavse, Amit Gawand, and Avinash Jadhav, along with Constables Mahesh Doifode, Dalit Paikrao, and Vaibhav Thorat. Constable Aditya Rane provided technical support by tracing the accused’s location using call data records.
“During our investigation, we learned that the accused had a strong addiction to cigarettes and paan,” said a Malad police officer. “We circulated his photograph among local paan vendors, and some of them recognised him. After several days of surveillance, the accused was finally nabbed on Wednesday while preparing to travel to Mumbai.”
Sakharkar’s modus operandi involved cutting window grills to gain entry into homes and stealing valuables, mostly cash and jewellery. After each theft, he would return to Silvassa to avoid immediate arrest. During interrogation, Sakharkar confessed to the crime. Police confirmed that he had been involved in over 60 burglary cases. Typically, he would spend two to three months in jail after each arrest and has cumulatively spent over two years in custody. However, he would resume his criminal activities upon release.
“In the present case, he stole gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 3.27 lakh, including bangles, earrings, mangalsutras, a chain, and a silver baby bracelet,” said Senior Inspector Vijay Panhale. Efforts are underway to recover the stolen property. Sakharkar has a long criminal record, with cases registered at police stations including Vile Parle, Goregaon, Borivli, Jogeshwari, Vanrai, Valiv, Dindoshi, Kasturba Marg, Charkop, Vasai, Tulinj, Nalasopara, DN Nagar, and Santacruz. His offences range from housebreaking and theft to cheating and even sexual assault. Several preventive actions have also been taken against him under the Mumbai Police Act. He is currently in police custody till July 16.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
