Legwork by two constables leads to recovery of ornaments from flower seller
Within three hours, two constables were able to recover jewellery worth ₹1.60 lakh that was reported missing in Thane on Tuesday.
At 12.30 p.m., Vasudha Borkar, a resident of Thane, approached the Naupada policeand filed a complaint saying that she had lost a pouch of gold jewellery at the signal at Teen Haath Naka in Thane (West). Ms. Borkar said that a relative dropped her in a car at the signal at 9.30 a.m. and then she hailed a taxi to her workplace in Navi Mumbai.
An officer said, “Ms. Borkar had placed the pouch in her lap. When the relative’s car stopped at the signal, she got out in a hurry and accidentally dropped the pouch. She realised the pouch was missing only after reaching her workplace. She then returned to the spot, but could not find the pouch.”
Constables Bhupesh Bhambre and Kalpesh Kadam, who were patrolling the area, were alerted and they met Ms. Borkar at the spot and made inquires. Mr. Bhambre said, “A CCTV camera set up near the signal had captured the spot where Ms. Borkar had lost her pouch. We then spoke to hawkers selling flowers and balloons at the signal, and employees of garages located near the spot.”
After making inquiries for around an hour, the police zeroed in on a flower seller. He claimed that all the hawkers hailed from the Wadari community and he spoke their language. He said he could help the constables make inquiries with the hawkers and they agreed to use his services.”
Mr. Bhambre said, “Later, a mechanic, who repaired tyres at a corner of the junction, told us that the man who had offered to help us was the culprit. We then took the man aside and told him that the CCTV camera had caught him in the act.”
The man confessed that he had picked up the pouch from the road and hidden it at a spot under Teen Haath Naka flyover. The constables then retrieved the pouch and recovered the jewellery.
After Ms. Borkar identified the pouch, an incident report was filed at the police station. The jewellery was returned to Ms. Borkar at 4.30 p.m. after completing the due procedures.