City crime branch busts Mangalsutra snatching gang, arrests thief

Mangalsutra snatchers from Srirampur

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The city crime branch successfully dismantled a gang involved in terrorizing women through mangalsutra snatching incidents. One thief from the gang has been apprehended, leading to the recovery of two stolen motorcycles and jewelry worth Rs 5.28 lakh. The arrest shed light on eight crimes committed by the gang.

The arrested thief has been identified as Yogesh Sitaram Patekar (24, Swami Samarthnagar, Gajanannagar). In the past month and a half, the city witnessed a series of incidents involving the snatching of mangalsutras. The continuous occurrence of such incidents caused fear among women. Prompted by these circumstances, the Commissioner of Police directed the crime branch to take immediate action. During investigation it was discovered that the thefts were carried out by a gang from Srirampur. The police investigation revealed that, with the assistance of his accomplices, Yogesh had snatched mangalsutras from eight women over the past one and a half months. Following Yogesh's arrest and subsequent confession, the names of his accomplices Vinod alias Khangya Vijay Chavan (Ashoknagar, Srirampurar), Akshay Tribhuvan (Vaijapur), and Rahul Barde (Bhokar, Srirampur) were disclosed. The police are now looking for the remaining suspects.

Snatchers freely moved around the city

While executing the mangalsutra snatching, the thieves would not cover their faces as they came to the city from Srirampur. This allowed them to move around freely. Their modus operandi involved hiding the stolen two-wheelers at Yogesh's house during the day, relaxing, and leaving the city with the vehicles after nightfall.