Thieves hit shops across Vaijapur in one night; Rs 10,000 taken from grocery store

Thieves went on a spree in Vaijapur town from midnight on Thursday until Friday morning. Attempts were made to break into four shops in the Murari Park area. Six to seven thousand rupees were stolen from a mobile shop, while thieves took Rs 10,000 in cash from a grocery store on Ladgaon Road.

Attempted thefts are also reported to have taken place at six to seven other places in the town. Although CCTV footage of these incidents exists, no one has so far filed a police complaint.

At around 2 am on Thursday night, thieves targeted shops in the Murari Park area. They prised up the shutters of Shri Narayangiri Organic Agro, Kisan Agro Agency and Khambekar Electronics in attempts to steal. At a mobile shop in the same area, CSM Tech Solution, the shutter was prised up and the lock broken. The thief then took six to seven thousand rupees from the cash box.

At around 7 am on Friday, another incident took place in the Godavari Colony and Adarsh Colony area. A man on a two-wheeler tried to snatch a gold chain from the neck of a woman who was sweeping the area. People nearby were alert, however, and his attempt failed.

The thieves then moved to Mahesh Kirana shop on Ladgaon Road. The lock was broken, the shutter prised up and Rs 10,000 kept inside was taken. From midnight to morning, attempted and actual thefts occurred in different parts of the town, raising questions about the safety of traders and ordinary people.

With CCTV footage available, tracing the thieves is a challenge for the police. A case has been registered in the Murari Park thefts. But despite being aware of attempted thefts elsewhere in the town, people have not yet filed complaints. As a result, the exact number of thefts and the extent of the loss remain unclear.

The incident took place in Vaijapur in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar within a single night. It is reported to have happened between 1 am and 3 am, with the thieves taking advantage of the absence of patrolling. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar rural police say this could be an inter-district gang. A gang that carried out similar thefts in Kopargaon, Sangamner, Ghoti and Vaijapur had been caught earlier.

Traders are advised to install CCTV cameras with night vision and cloud backup, and not just dummy cameras. It has also emerged that the CCTV cameras in 60 per cent of Vaijapur's shops are not working.