Acting swiftly on leads, Colaba Police successfully cracked a series of mobile phone thefts that took place on December 31, 2024. The theft ring involved two suspects, Santosh Mohan Shinde (50) and Farooq Shahawali Shaikh (30), both auto drivers from Ghatkopar. The police recovered 10 stolen mobile phones, valued at Rs1.87 lakhs, as part of their investigation.
The arrests were made under the guidance of DCP, Zone 1, Dr. Pravin Mundhe, and Senior Police Inspector Swati Pethkar. The detection team, led by API Dnyaneshwar Kandekar and PSI Vijay Gawde, used CCTV footage to identify the suspects. A vigilant patrol in the Colaba area led to the timely arrests.
On December 31, 2024, Lijo Oman (25), a resident of Fort, Mumbai, reported that his Apple iPhone 14, worth Rs55,000, was stolen near Gokul Warden Shop, behind the Taj Hotel. The thief, wearing a grey shirt, had snatched the phone from his jeans pocket. After reviewing the CCTV footage, the police were able to track down the suspects and arrest them.
The investigation also uncovered further thefts, with three additional victims, including Bhaskar Popatlal Parekh (68), who had his Samsung A1 phone stolen near the Gateway of India. In total, the police seized phones including an Apple iPhone 14, OnePlus phone, Vivo phone, Redmi phone, Lenovo phone, and Samsung phones, all worth a combined Rs1.82 lakh.
Two phones have already been returned to their rightful owners, and investigations are underway to locate the owners of the remaining devices.
The vigilance shown by Colaba Police during a high-footfall event like New Year’s Eve helped to resolve the theft cases swiftly. The police continue to investigate and are focused on returning the recovered phones to their rightful owners.