Mumbai's VP Road Police have arrested two accused in connection with the theft of ₹1.85 crore in cash from a private office. Among the arrested individuals is an employee of the office, police officials confirmed. The arrested suspects have been identified as Dhanji Praveensingh Rajput and Vijay Manaji Rajput, both residents of Gujarat.
Police have recovered ₹1.55 crore from the duo, and after their arrest, the court has remanded them to police custody. Meanwhile, a third accused, identified as Hitesh Devjibhai Rajput, has also been found involved in the crime, and efforts are underway to nab him.
Hitesh Rajnikant Khatri, a businessman running a courier service, has an office in Girgaon’s Second Bhoiwada area. Two of his employees, Naresh Rajput and Vijay Rajput, were working in the office and staying there overnight.
Due to business needs, Khatri had borrowed ₹1.85 crore from six of his friends and stored the amount safely in a cupboard in his office. Both Naresh and Vijay were aware of the cash.
On February 22, Naresh called Khatri, informing him that the money was stolen. Upon reaching the office, Khatri checked the CCTV footage, which revealed Vijay stealing the cash from the cupboard and fleeing with two other individuals. Before executing the theft, the accused had switched off the CCTV cameras and used a duplicate key to open the cupboard.
Upon discovering the crime, Khatri immediately reported the incident to VP Road Police, who registered a case and launched an investigation to track down Vijay and his accomplices.
During the investigation, police detained Dhanji Rajput at Mumbai Central Railway Station, recovering ₹1.04 crore from him. Upon questioning, Dhanji confessed to the theft at Khatri’s office. He was then handed over to VP Road Police for further inquiry.
Following Dhanji’s arrest, police managed to nab Vijay and seized ₹51 lakh from him. In total, police have recovered ₹1.55 crore from both accused.
Meanwhile, the third accused, Hitesh Rajput, is still on the run. Police have launched a search operation to track him down. Officials confirmed that ₹29.5 lakh is yet to be recovered.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Vijay, who knew about the cash, conspired with Dhanji and Hitesh to execute the theft. They created a duplicate key and meticulously planned the robbery. After stealing the cash, the trio intended to flee to Gujarat. However, with Dhanji’s arrest, police successfully cracked the case.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are working on recovering the remaining amount and arresting the third accused.