Thane, March 10 Police in Thane, Maharashtra, have arrested a man alleged to be involved in at least 48 burglary cases and recovered more than one kilogram of stolen gold ornaments worth approximately ₹1.39 crore from him, a senior official said on Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference here, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amarsingh Jadhav said the accused, identified as Shivaji Gopal Sante (31), is a resident of Titwala east in the Thane district.
He has been targeting houses in the Mumbra area over the past few years, he said.
Several cases of house break-ins had been registered at the Mumbra police station, in which an unidentified person was entering locked houses during the daytime by damaging bathroom window grills and door locks, and then making off with gold and silver ornaments, Jadhav said.
Following instructions from senior officers, the unit-1 of the crime branch launched an investigation and tracked the suspect for nearly six months, he said.
The breakthrough came during the investigation into a burglary reported on February 8 this year at Sai Swapan Apartment in Narayan Bhagat Nagar in Diva East, where the lock and hinges of the main door of a locked house were broken and valuables were stolen.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Mumbra police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
During the investigation, the crime branch team analysed CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding areas.
"The accused used different modes of transport and deliberately travelled in opposite directions to avoid being traced on CCTV cameras," Jadhav said.
By studying multiple CCTV clips and using technical surveillance along with inputs from informants, the police tracked the suspect's movements and identified him. After about 15 days of continuous investigation, the police located and arrested Sante from Titwala East on March 2, the official said.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to committing a series of housebreaking offences in Mumbra over the past three years.
"So far, 48 cases of housebreaking have been solved and 1.03 kilograms of gold ornaments worth ₹1.39 crore stolen in the crimes have been recovered," Jadhav said.