Three arrested for Rs 53.70 lakh theft at Talwade bungalow; Chikhli police recover Rs 57.87 lakh of goods

Pimpri: Chikhli police have arrested three accused in connection with a theft at a bungalow in Talwade. According to police, the three had set out to steal from a scrap warehouse in Kudalwadi, but changed their plan on learning of a bungalow in Talwade. Gold jewellery weighing 68 tola, Rs 5 lakh in cash and other valuables, worth Rs 53.70 lakh in all, were stolen from the bungalow. Police have seized goods worth Rs 57,87,400 from the accused, including 73 tola of gold jewellery.

The arrested are Anarulla Mazhar Ulla Chaudhary (36, Chikhli), Abdul Rahim Majid Momin (39, Kandivali, Mumbai) and Samiullah Azmatullah Khan (32, Mumbra, Thane). Chaudhary worked at a tea stall. He had been thrown out of his home after a family quarrel. He then called Abdul and Samiullah to Pimpri-Chinchwad. The three planned a theft at a scrap warehouse in Kudalwadi and set out looking for a warehouse.

Meanwhile, they stopped for tea at an eatery built on Bharti Bhalekar's land in Talwade. There they asked the person running the eatery about the owner of the land. He told them the land belonged to Bhalekar and that he ran the eatery on rent. The accused then saw Bhalekar's bungalow behind the eatery. They learnt that it was the only bungalow in the area and that most of its rooms had been rented out. They then decided to steal from the bungalow instead of the scrap warehouse. They found a way in through a construction site behind the bungalow and made their plan.

At about 1 am on October 13, the accused reached the bungalow's terrace from the construction site. From there they went into a room on the first floor and tied the hands, feet and mouth of Bharti Bhalekar, who was asleep. They then took gold jewellery, cash and other valuables from the house and fled. The stolen goods included 68 tola of gold jewellery worth Rs 48.25 lakh, Rs 5 lakh in cash, silver jewellery worth Rs 30,000, a mobile phone worth Rs 10,000 and a watch worth Rs 5,000. The total value is Rs 53.70 lakh.

On learning of the theft, Assistant Police Inspector Subhash Chavan of Chikhli and his team began an investigation. After going through footage from more than 70 CCTV cameras in the area, police identified the accused. Anarulla Chaudhary was taken into custody first. In questioning, he said he had committed the theft with two associates. Police then arrested Abdul Momin and Samiullah Khan as well. From the accused, police seized 73 tola of gold jewellery, three pairs of silver anklets, a two-wheeler and a weapon used in the crime. The total value of the seized goods is Rs 57,87,400.

There was talk in the area that about 100 tola of gold had been taken in the theft. There was also talk that the complainant had been asked to mention only 69 tola of gold in the complaint. Police have seized more gold jewellery, 73 tola, than the gold stated in the complaint, and various speculations are therefore being made about the case. Official information is needed on the exact quantity of gold stolen and on the details of the jewellery seized.