Mumbai: Battery chor on the prowl in Mahim

Resident Mushtaq Ansari indicates the lane next to Canossa High School in Mahim West where cars have been targeted. Pics/Satej Shinde

A month after Mahim police quarters was rocked by a series of housebreaking incidents, it has come to light that an unidentified thief has stolen 30 to 40 car batteries from an area just 100 metres away from the spot. Residents told mid-day that they approached the police on several occasions, but no first information report was registered and the matter was not investigated.

The modus operandi of the unidentified battery thief involves using a tool to open car doors and then the bonnet to steal batteries. Residents claimed they had caught the accused red-handed twice, but before they could hand him over to the cops, the accused managed to escape.

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The residents eventually approached Mahim police with a written application, demanding the arrest of the thief. Most of the vehicles with stolen batteries were parked on roads in the Mahim West area, just stone's throw from the Mahim police station. According to residents, the incidents occurred over the past two months. Many residents are now locking their car batteries with chains after parking their vehicles.

Victim 1
J P Dias, 50-year-old IT professional
"I reside at Silver Green Society near Baba Falooda shop in Mahim West. I park my car outside my society daily. On Wednesday I parked my car after returning from office. The next morning, when I was heading to work, my car wouldn't start. I called a mechanic and he found that the battery was missing. The thief had even locked the doors after stealing the battery."

Victim 2
Mushtaq Ansari, Activist and resident of Mahim West
He caught the accused on Friday morning while he was stealing a car battery, but the latter managed to escape before he could be handed over to the police. Ansari, who is in the second-hand car business, has had 12 car batteries stolen so far. He said, "I approached the Mahim police station multiple times, but they didn't register a case saying it is just a battery."

Victim 3
Dattatray B Babar,64-year-old retired MTNL employee residing at MMC Cross Road
Two days ago, an unidentified person stole the battery from his Innova. Babar said, "I park my car outside my society daily. After the Ganpati visarjan, when I went to start my car in the morning, it wouldn't respond. I called a mechanic, and we found that the car battery was missing. All the car doors were open. I had to purchase a new battery, which cost me Rs 6,000."

Victim 4
Sanjay Janardhan Marathe, 49-year-old resident of Sahu Nagar and owner of garage in Mahim West
"A few days ago, I parked a taxi on the road because a few cars were in our garage for servicing. In the evening, when I tried to start the taxi, I found the battery missing. I had to buy a battery worth R4,000," he said.

Victim 5
Rahat Ali Sayyed, a 40-year-old taxi driver residing at Kamgar Chawl in Mahim
He also lost his car battery a few days ago. Sayyed told mid-day, "I parked my car outside my society, and in the morning, when I tried to start it, I couldn't. When I opened the bonnet, I found the battery missing. I approached the cops, but they didn't register my case."

Victim 6
Rahmat Shaikh,a 40-year-old resident of Mahim
He told mid-day, "I buy and sell second-hand cars, and three days ago, my car battery was stolen. I had parked my car outside Canossa High School. The thief had opened the car door. Now, I have to buy a new battery, which will cost me at least Rs 4,000."

Victim 7
Noorul Hasan, runs a garage in Mahim
He told mid-day, "A few days ago, I parked a car in the morning after receiving it from a customer for servicing. Just two to three hours later, when I tried to start the vehicle, nothing happened. When I checked, I found out that the battery was missing."