An 18-year-old burglar, Anshul alias Anup Wakade, was arrested within 30 minutes after contacting a police punter posing as a mephedrone (MD) dealer to buy drugs with money stolen from a recent heist. The suspect had burglarized a house in the early hours of February 7 and was apprehended shortly afterward.
Instead of supplying the drugs, the peddler alerted the Pachpaoli Police. Acting swiftly, a rapid-response team recovered stolen gold, silver, cash, and vehicles collectively valued at Rs4.80 lakh.
Wakade, a resident of Lashkaribagh, has multiple cases of housebreaking and two-wheeler theft registered against him across Nagpur. Police noted that his criminal activities were often linked to drug addiction.
Earlier that morning, two burglaries were reported at adjacent properties, with a combined value of stolen items totaling Rs3.22 lakh. Following the latest break-in, Wakade attempted to buy drugs with the stolen money, which led to his capture.
The arrest was supervised by Senior Inspector Baburao Raut and led by sub-inspectors Ranjit Majgaonkar and Dilip Pawar. During interrogation, Wakade revealed the locations of hidden loot, enabling the recovery of four stolen vehicles and helping solve four separate cases registered at Pachpaoli, Tehsil, Nandanvan, and Wadi Police Stations.
The operation was conducted under the overall supervision of DCP Rahul Madane.
