A 31-year-old habitual thief from Kalyan was arrested last week by Thane Police. The accused, Shivaji Gopal Sante, had been burglarising houses across the Diva East and Mumbra regions for the last two years. “The accused confessed to 48 housebreaking crimes committed over the last three years; we have made a recovery of 1.03 kg of gold jewellery valued at Rs 1.39 crore,” stated Thane Police.
The Investigation that led to the arrest
- The crime branch was on the lookout for the suspect for months.
- The suspect committed a housebreaking at a residential society in Diva East in February.
- The suspect attempted to evade CCTVs but police team identified him through CCTV footage.
- With “continuous technical investigation and inputs from confidential informants”, suspect traced to Titwala East.
- Crime branch team arrested the suspect on March 2.
Modus Operandi of the habitual thief
- The accused allegedly targeted locked houses.
- Gained entry by prying open window grills, including the ones in the bathroom, and the main door latches with an iron rod
- Primarily stole gold and silver jewellery.
- Travelled using multiple modes of transport and in reverse directions to evade CCTV cameras.
- Largest single recovery from the accused: 101 grams of precious metal jewellery that was stolen in 2024.
