In a joint operation, the Sion and Kalachowki Police have busted a gang involved in stealing gold and silver ornaments during household shifting assignments. Police have arrested five people, including the main accused — all employees of a packers and movers company. Their arrest has led to the detection of two theft cases registered at the Sion and Kalachowki police stations. The police have recovered stolen valuables worth ₹11.40 lakh from the accused.
According to the police, the first complainant, a resident of Sion, was relocating to a rented flat in the same area after her landlord decided to sell the previous flat. To move her belongings, she contacted a packers and movers company. On October 9, a few workers arrived at her residence, claiming to be from the company, and packed all her household goods — including a box containing gold ornaments. They later shifted the items to the new flat as agreed, but fled with the box containing jewellery worth ₹8.8 lakh.
When the complainant realized the jewellery box was missing, she tried to contact the workers, but they did not respond. She then lodged a complaint with the Sion Police, alleging theft by the packers and movers staff.
While this case was under investigation, a similar incident occurred in the Kalachowki area. The complainant in that case had recently shifted from Lalbaug to Kalachowki. During the relocation, the packers and movers employees allegedly stole gold and silver ornaments worth ₹3.4 lakh and absconded. Separate cases were registered at the Sion and Kalachowki police stations.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ragasudha R took serious note of the incidents and formed a special team to trace the culprits. Based on CCTV footage and technical intelligence, police identified and tracked down the accused.
The special team arrested the main accused, Sandeep Vishwakarma, along with his accomplices — Pravin Pandey, Durgesh Mishra, Rakesh Yadav, and Pintu Singh — from different areas. During interrogation, the accused confessed to committing both thefts. The police have successfully recovered all stolen jewellery — ₹8 lakh worth from the Sion case and the entire ₹3.4 lakh from the Kalachowki case.
Police suspect the gang may be involved in similar thefts across Mumbai, and further investigation is underway.