The Aarey Police have arrested a former employee for allegedly stealing his employer’s pickup vehicle to arrange money for his sister’s wedding. The accused has been identified as Brajeshkumar Ramgopal Rekwar alias ‘Tiger’. Police have recovered the stolen pickup vehicle, valued at approximately Rs 4.25 lakh, from his possession.
According to Senior Police Inspector Ravindra Patil, after stealing the vehicle, the accused had parked it at Nashik railway station. He was allegedly planning to sell the vehicle once the matter cooled down and then flee to his native village in Uttar Pradesh.
Complainant Ranjitkumar Rajedev Mishra, a resident of Malad, runs a decoration material trading business. Last year, his brother had purchased a pickup vehicle for business purposes. Mishra used to park the vehicle at Ambawadi in Unit 31 of Aarey Colony, Goregaon, every night.
On January 17, he parked the vehicle at the usual spot near Ambawadi. However, when he returned the next day, the vehicle was missing. It was later discovered that an unidentified person had stolen the vehicle during the night. Mishra subsequently lodged a complaint with the Aarey Police, following which a case of vehicle theft was registered against an unknown person.
Under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Ravindra Patil, a police team launched an investigation. Based on CCTV footage and technical surveillance inputs, the accused was traced and detained from the Santosh Nagar area in Goregaon.
During interrogation, it was revealed that Tiger is originally from Uttar Pradesh and had previously worked for Mishra. He had later quit the job and reportedly worked in a few web series and television serials. However, when acting assignments dried up, he took up jobs as a truck and tempo driver but could not sustain employment for long. For the past few days, he had been searching for work.
Meanwhile, his sister’s marriage had been fixed, and he was in urgent need of money. Police said this prompted him to plan the theft of his former employer’s pickup vehicle.
As per the plan, he arrived in the Ambawadi area late on the night of January 17 and stole the vehicle. He drove it to Nashik and parked it at the railway station, waiting for the situation to settle after learning that a police complaint had been filed. He allegedly intended to sell the vehicle for Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh and then return to his native village in Uttar Pradesh with the money.
However, acting on technical inputs, the Aarey Police apprehended him before he could execute his plan. The stolen pickup vehicle has been recovered from Nashik, and further investigation is underway.