Ex-Police Informer Arrested for Rs 1 Crore Burglary at Lopamudra Raut's Santacruz Flat
The Mumbai police have arrested a 26-year-old former police informer from Bihar for allegedly burglarising cash and valuables worth around Rs 1 crore from the Santacruz West apartment of actress and beauty pageant winner Lopamudra Raut. The accused, Chandan Mukhiya, was apprehended in his native village in Darbhanga, Bihar, on August 2 and brought to Mumbai on August 8, 2026.
The crime occurred between 4 am and 5 am on July 14. According to police, Mukhiya spotted scaffolding outside the Santacruz West building and used it to climb into Raut's fifth-floor flat. He targeted the apartment randomly, completed the burglary within an hour, and fled with cash, gold, diamond-studded jewellery, watches, and other valuables.
Raut, 30, discovered the crime when she returned to Mumbai from Nagpur on July 27 and found her apartment locked from the outside. A building staff member accessed the premises through the balcony to open the door. Police subsequently used CCTV footage and technical surveillance to track Mukhiya, who had fled the city on the Jai Sagar Express towards the India-Nepal border.
Investigators stated that Mukhiya previously stayed with the Gamdevi police as an informer in 2021, helping them crack a house-theft case. During that period, he closely observed police techniques regarding evidence gathering and suspect tracking, which he later applied to evade detection during his own criminal activities.
Mukhiya has a history of major burglaries across Mumbai. He previously allegedly stole valuables worth Rs 1.8 crore from his diamond-merchant employer near Breach Candy Hospital, burying the stolen items near his home in Bihar. He was subsequently arrested in another Rs 25 lakh burglary case before being released on bail in January. Following his release, he stayed at a Mumbai Central dormitory and conducted reconnaissance across the city.
Within ten days of the Santacruz burglary, Mukhiya and his 45-year-old uncle, Lalu Mukhiya, allegedly invested Rs 22 lakh of the stolen money to purchase two land plots measuring approximately 2,722.5 square feet near their village. Police have recovered stolen property worth Rs 76.39 lakh. Lalu Mukhiya remains wanted for allegedly helping to dispose of the stolen valuables.
