Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The crime branch has arrested two members of a five-member gang from Surat, Gujarat, involved in seven daytime house break-ins in the city, while three others remain absconding, informed senior police inspector Gajanan Kalyankar.
The arrested accused Gurudas Koli (28) and Amol Jadhav (33) of Jolwagaon, Palsana taluka, Surat would arrive in the morning, use vehicles with local number plates, conduct recce of locked houses, commit burglaries in upscale areas, and return to Surat by evening. The absconding accused are Milind Sanjay Khairnar, Chandrakant alias Baba Patil, and Paji. Following rising burglary cases, police commissioner Pravin Pawar, DCP (crime) Ratnakar Navale, and ACP Ashok Rajput ordered a detailed probe. Under Kalyankar’s guidance, a team led by sub-inspector Abhijit Chikhilikar analysed CCTV footage to trace the gang. Constables Yogesh Navsare and Pradeep Dandavate worked undercover in Surat for 15 days, leading to the arrests. The gang confessed to three cases in Vedantnagar, two in Osmanpura, and one each in Satara and Chhavani limits. Police seized 13 gold ornaments weighing 68.58 grams. The gang targeted houses without CCTV cameras, prompting an appeal from the police commissioner for installation of surveillance systems.