Thane Crime Branch Arrests 3 For Stealing Gold Bangles From Bus Commuters
The Thane Crime Branch Unit-1 has arrested three members of a gang notorious for stealing gold jewellery from female commuters at busy transit points, following an investigation sparked by a theft at the Louis Wadi bus stop in Thane.
Police identified the arrested individuals as Kapil Suresh Tidange, Poornima Suresh Tidange, also known as Kallu Kalpana, and Deepak Vatan Abhang. Following their arrest, law enforcement officers recovered six stolen gold bangles weighing roughly 130 grams, with an estimated total value of Rs 20.53 lakh, directly from the suspects.
According to investigators, the gang targeted vulnerable female passengers at crowded bus stops during peak travel hours. The suspects operated by taking advantage of the rush and commotion as commuters attempted to board crowded buses, covertly sliding gold bangles off the victims' wrists before slipping away unnoticed. The thefts were carried out with such stealth that victims typically discovered their jewellery was missing only long after the culprits had fled the scene.
The string of thefts unraveled after a key incident on July 20 at the Louis Wadi bus stop, where a 61-year-old woman, Kalpana Patankar, reported that her gold bangle had been stolen while she was boarding a bus. Crime Branch investigators launched an inquiry and conducted extensive analysis of CCTV footage across several locations, which helped them identify and track down the three suspects.
An investigating official noted that through detailed CCTV analysis across multiple locations, the team managed to identify and apprehend the gang members. With the recovery of the stolen jewellery, investigators have solved six reported cases, and further interrogation is continuing to determine if the gang was involved in other similar offences.
Subsequent questioning of the suspects revealed their involvement in at least six theft cases registered across the jurisdictions of the Naupada, Thanenagar, and Rabodi police stations.
The policing operation was carried out under the direction of senior officers, including Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbare, Joint Commissioner Dnyaneshwar Chavan, and Additional Commissioner Punjabrao Ugale, with ongoing proceedings led by Sub-Inspector Prakash Shirsat.
