Inter-district burglary gang busted in Junnar; Rs 38.50 lakh worth of goods recovered, four held

The Pune Rural Police Local Crime Branch and Otur police have busted an inter-district gang that broke locks of houses at night in Junnar taluka and stole gold and silver jewellery. Three members of the gang have been arrested. A fourth person has also been taken into custody on the charge of buying the stolen silver jewellery, bringing the total arrests in the case to four.

Police seized 19 tolas of gold jewellery, 2 kg 770 grams of silver, Rs 2 lakh in cash and the car used in the crimes. The seized goods are valued at Rs 38.50 lakh. The action has solved four burglaries, three in the Otur police station area and one in the Narayangaon police station area.

The case began on October 5, 2026, when unidentified persons broke the lock of a house in the Otur police station area and stole gold and silver jewellery. Similar burglaries were being reported around Otur and Narayangaon, making it a major challenge for police to trace those behind them.

Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill took the incidents seriously and directed the Local Crime Branch team to solve the cases and arrest the accused. The branch then began a parallel investigation.

While going through CCTV footage from the crime scenes, police spotted a suspicious car. To trace its route, footage from about 150 CCTV cameras on the route from Otur to Nashik was examined. Based on technical analysis and information from secret informants, police searched for the person using the car.

Inquiries in the Indiranagar and Wadala areas of Nashik showed that the car seen in the footage was driven by Sonu alias Mohammad Sharif Rasul Shaikh. The investigation also revealed that he had two associates, Waseem Pathan and Adnan Pathan.

Teams of the Local Crime Branch and Otur police laid a trap and detained the three from the Wadala and Lasalgaon areas of Nashik. They are:

Waseem Munir Pathan (29), resident of Pimpalgaon Najik, Lasalgaon, Niphad taluka, Nashik district.

Adnan Yunus Pathan (26), currently residing at Wadala, Indiranagar, Nashik; originally from Pimpalgaon Najik, Lasalgaon, Niphad taluka, Nashik district.

Sonu alias Mohammad Sharif Rasul Shaikh (40), resident of Pimpalgaon Najik, Lasalgaon, Niphad taluka, Nashik district.

According to a press note, the accused confessed during questioning to being involved in the burglaries. Police also seized wireless walkie-talkie sets that the gang used to avoid getting caught during the crimes and to stay in contact with each other. Sagar Ashok Shinde (30), resident of Vinchur, Niphad taluka, Nashik district, has also been arrested on the charge of buying the stolen silver jewellery.

The action covers three cases of the Otur police station and one of the Narayangaon police station. The Otur cases are registered under crime register numbers 265/2026, 218/2026 and 137/2026, while the Narayangaon case is under crime register number 203/2026. The cases have been registered under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill, Additional Superintendent of Police Dr Shubham Kumar and Sub-Divisional Police Officer Dhananjay Patil. It involved Local Crime Branch Police Inspector Pramod Kshirsagar, Assistant Police Inspector Mahadev Shelar, Otur police station Assistant Police Inspector Dnyaneshwar Bajgire, Sub-Inspector Yuvraj Jadhav, Local Crime Branch Assistant Sub-Inspector Deepak Sable, and constables Sandeep Ware, Raju Momin, Akshay Navale, Abhimanyu Mote, Bharat Mohol and Chetan Patil. Narendra Gorane, Balshiram Bhawari, Vishal Godse and Dhananjay Palve of Otur police station also took part.

Otur police station Sub-Inspector Yuvraj Jadhav is conducting further investigation. Police are also checking whether the gang committed burglaries elsewhere. People in Junnar taluka have found relief after four burglaries were solved with the help of CCTV footage, technical analysis and coordination among police units.

Otur police station Assistant Police Inspector Dnyaneshwar Bajgire said that to remove the fear caused among people by night-time burglaries, investigations into such cases must be swift and effective. Police have appealed to residents to take care of security when leaving home locked or at night, to install CCTV cameras in their homes and sensor locks on doors, and to inform police immediately if they notice any suspicious activity nearby.