A five-member burglary gang from Surat in Gujarat allegedly carried out a series of house break-ins in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar by using a carefully planned strategy. According to police, the accused would arrive in the city early in the morning, attach locally registered number plates to their vehicles, and spend the day surveying residential areas. They specifically targeted locked homes and flats in upscale neighbourhoods before fleeing the city by evening. Investigators revealed that the gang managed to break into seven houses using this method. The Crime Branch has now exposed the operation and arrested two suspects, while efforts are underway to trace the remaining three accused involved in the crimes.
The arrested accused have been identified as Gurudas Suresh Koli (28) and Amol Gokul Jadhav (33), both residents of Jolwa village in Palsana taluka of Surat district. Police said the search is continuing for three more accused identified as Milind Sanjay Khairnar, Chandrakant alias Baba Patil, and another suspect known as Paji. A sharp rise in daytime burglaries in premium residential areas had raised serious concerns among citizens, as many of the cases remained unsolved for weeks. Questions were also being raised regarding the effectiveness of local police investigation teams. Following this, Police Commissioner Praveen Pawar ordered a detailed probe into the incidents and directed the Crime Branch to intensify its investigation.
Under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector Gajanan Kalyankar, a special team led by Sub-Inspector Abhijeet Chikhilikar and other officers examined several CCTV camera recordings from different parts of the city. During the investigation, constables Yogesh Navsare and Pradeep Dandwate travelled to Surat and worked undercover for nearly 15 days at roadside food stalls selling egg bhurji and chole-bhature. By blending into the local environment, the officers managed to gather crucial information about the suspects and eventually tracked down Gurudas Koli and Amol Jadhav. Police officials said the undercover operation played a major role in cracking the case and identifying the gang members behind the repeated burglaries.
Police said the accused has confessed to committing seven burglaries across the city. The crimes include three cases registered at Vedant Nagar Police Station, two under Osmanpura Police Station, and one case each in Satara and Chhavani areas. During the operation, police recovered 13 small and large gold ornaments weighing around 68.58 grams. Investigators further revealed that the gang mainly targeted houses and apartment buildings that lacked CCTV surveillance systems, making it easier for them to operate unnoticed. In view of the incidents, Police Commissioner Praveen Pawar has appealed to residents and housing societies to install CCTV cameras to strengthen security and help police prevent such crimes in future.