Maharashtra is one of the worst hit state by COVID-19 with maximum number of cases. Mumbai city has the highest number of cases. The state is under complete lockdown. People have been told not step out of their house. Amid the lockdown , a Mumbai based, chief of an NGO who got permission to move around in the coronavirus lockdown to distribute food has been arrested for allegedly assembling a gang and robbing a jewellery story in Andheri in Mumbai of ornaments worth Rs 7 crore, police said on Tuesday.
Vipul Ananda Chambriya (35), of thhe Ekta Foundation, was arrested along with six others on Monday and loot worth Rs 5.30 crore has been recovered, said Zone X Deputy Commissioner of Police Ankit Goel.
"A complaint was made by the owner of the shop Rajkumar Luthra on April 22, amid the lockdown. In his complaint he mentioned that his jewellery shop had been broken into through the roof using a gas cutter and ornaments worth Rs 7 crore were stolen," an MIDC police station official said.
"Three teams were made and after interrogating several people who may have been in the vicinity, we zeroed in on Chambriya. He had permission to distribute food to the needy during lockdown. After collecting information about the shop, he brought in six accomplices, including four who work in his NGO, and robbed the shop," he added.
Other identified who have been arrested as shop stock holder Desman Chotalal Chohan, security guard Munna Khairwar, and Chambriya''s NGO staff Laxman Narsappa Dandu, Shankar Kumar Yeshu, Rajesh Marpakka and Vikas Chanwadi.