Cops pose as auto rickshaw drivers to nab man on the run for 7 months in Nalasopara theft case

The accused in police custody. Pic/Hanif Patel

To nab a man who had been on the run for seven months allegedly in a theft case in Nalasopara area of Maharashtra, the cops posed as auto rickshaw drivers, an official said.

The man had been on the run for seven months after allegedly stealing jewellery worth over Rs 25 lakh from Nalasopara was finally arrested by the police, the official said on Friday.

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The accused was identified as Rizwan Abdul Mannan Ansari, 30. He was working as an auto rickshaw driver in Noida to evade police action against him, the official said.

The police sources stated that identifying him was challenging as he had grown a thick beard to alter his appearance.

The police monitored him undercover as rickshaw drivers for several days before nabbing him, the official said.

"After confirming his identity, they detained and arrested him on January 3 and brought him back to Nalasopara for further investigation," said an officer.

According to the police, the burglary took place on July 8, 2024, at a house in Nalasopara West. An unknown burglar entered the house and escaped with valuables, including jewellery worth more than Rs 25 lakh. The police registered a case and began their investigation, reviewing over 80 CCTV footages.

The footage revealed that the accused arrived in an auto rickshaw. The auto was traced to the Bhiwandi area the same month. The auto's owner, identified as Yogesh Ganpat Govind (31), was detained.

Govind was interrogated by a team of police officials and he allegedly confessed to the crime and revealed the names of two accomplices--Rizwan Ansari and Moazzam Shaikh (29), the police said.

Shaikh was detained in his native village in Maharashtra's Chiplun. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the crime and disclosed that the stolen jewellery was with Ansari.

The police raided Ansari's house in Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh, but found that he had moved to Noida. After months of searching, they learned he was driving an auto rickshaw in Noida. Despite his attempts to disguise himself with a beard, the police tracked and identified him, said the police.

The police recovered valuables worth approximately Rs 12 lakh from Ansari's possession, confirmed DCP Jaywant Bajbale of the MBVV police.

The investigation is ongoing, and further efforts are being made to recover the remaining stolen items, he added.