Penchant for lavish lifestyle, fathers involve sons in thefts

Thane: The Mahatma Phule Chowk police have busted a gang of five, including two father-son pairs, and a minor, for allegedly involved in committing several house-break-ins and thefts in Kalyan over the last few weeks.

According to the police, the main accused worked as a housekeeping staff and his associate who stayed in the same locality did odd jobs for a living. Despite their poor economic background, the duo had a penchant for luxurious items and accordingly used to plan thefts and involved their sons to execute it, the police said based on initial probe. .

“The fathers used to recce societies in nearby areas of Kalyan and track locked flats and pass on the information to their respective sons, who would then execute the break-ins. A minor friend of the boys hailing from a poor family background was also inducted in the gang,” senior inspector Baliram Pardeshi, Mahatma Phule Chowk police station police said.

The police stumbled upon the gang and their modus operandi while investigating a house break-in complaint filed by a Kalyan resident on May 8 where they arrested Kailash, the 19-year-old son of Bhalerao from Ambivli and Jadhav’s minor son and his friend. On investigations, Kailash spilled the modus operandi leaving the investigators stunned considering how the fathers were allegedly pushing their sons to crime. Subsequently, the police nabbed Bhalerao and Jadhav.

“The gang used to carefully make their way to the buildings evading suspicion and avoiding the CCTV cameras, if present. They used to carry basic tools to break open doors and once inside, they used to quickly break open safes and steal ornaments and cash and decamp. The stolen loot used to be sold through conduits and the proceeds often splurged on purchasing luxury items and daily indulgences,” said Pardeshi.

The recovered loot includes seven mangalsutras, two necklaces and three gold bangles weighing nearly 18 tolas, all collectively valued around Rs 21 lakh. Further investigations are underway, he said.

The police said the minors have been sent to the remand home while the fathers and the elder son have booked for house-break-ins. “We are also investigating their involvement in past cases and may explore if they could be booked for pushing the minors to commit thefts,” said an official.