Matunga police arrested a man accused of stealing municipal barricades across Mumbai. The suspect, initially caught for phone theft, later confessed to the crime. Investigations revealed a gang involved in stealing and selling barricades to scrap dealers.
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The Matunga police have arrested a man accused of robbing municipal barricades across the city.
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Initially apprehended for mobile phone theft, the suspect, Mahesh Gupta, confessed during interrogation that he was also involved in stealing BMC barricades. “Ten days ago, we arrested two individuals for stealing municipal barricades. During questioning, they revealed the involvement of a third person—Gupta—who was already on our radar. When we arrested him for a phone theft case, he admitted to committing petty thefts and being part of the gang that stole barricades,” a police official told Mid-Day.
Investigators believe the gang stole the barricades and likely sold them to a scrap dealer. “They specifically targeted lightweight barricades, stole them, and quickly fled the scene. A technical investigation provided us with a clear image of Gupta, leading to his arrest. The crimes were committed at night,” the police added.
The gang allegedly used a four-wheeler with duplicate keys and scouted locations for easy-to-steal, lightweight barricades. “At night, they would drive around in the vehicle and steal the barricades,” the police said.
Gupta (21) was arrested on Thursday and has been remanded to police custody until February 24. According to the police, Gupta is involved in multiple thefts, and four FIRs have been registered against him—three in Bhoiwada and one in Matunga. “We have recovered 23 barricades worth ₹69,000 and four mobile phones from the accused,” the police told Mid-Day.
Maha Kumbh helicopter ride scam: Cyber fraud gang operating from Bihar busted by Mumbai Police, 5 held
The Cuffe Parade Police in Mumbai busted a cyber fraud gang operating from Bihar and arrested five people in connection with the Maha Kumbh helicopter ride scam, the police officials said on Wednesday.
According to the police, it arrested the cyber fraud gang from Bihar for allegedly creating a fake website offering helicopter rides for the Maha Kumbh festival in Uttar Pradesh and deceiving unsuspecting victims.
Following a detailed investigation and nationwide coordination, five accused, including the mastermind, were arrested, an official said.
The case came to light when a complainant searched for “Mahakumbh Helicopter Ride” online and contacted the number listed on a fraudulent website. The complainant was allegedly instructed to transfer Rs 60,652 via QR code. However, after realising that the payment had been sent to a private account instead of a government aviation service, they suspected fraud. The following day, the website disappeared, and the accused became unresponsive.
Another victim, Sankalp Jagdale from Colaba, had also reported a similar fraud, said a police official.
The police said that the investigators traced the withdrawn money to ATMs in Bihar through CCTV footage, identified Avinash Kumar alias Bittu as a suspect. Upon his arrest, Bittu admitted to creating the fake website and withdrawing money using ATM cards provided by Mukesh Kumar, the alleged mastermind. Mukesh and his associate Saurabh Kumar were later apprehended in Nagpur while traveling on the Danapur-Secunderabad train. The investigation further uncovered a fraudulent SIM card operation. Srishti Barnawal, an SIM card agent in Mumbai, had allegedly issued duplicate SIM cards for cyber fraud, while Sanjit Kumar was accused of facilitating their transfer to Bihar. Both were subsequently arrested.
The police officials are now investigating whether the gang has allegedly scammed more victims across India, the officials said.
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