29-year-old held for multiple house break-ins in Mumbai

The Antop Hill Police have arrested a 29yearold man for his alleged involvement in multiple day and night house breakins across Mumbai During the operation the police recovered stolen valuables worth approximately 25 lakh Based on their investigation and interrogation officers suspect the accused may be linked to over 21 cases registered at various police stations across Mumbai and neighbouring citiesThe accused was traced and arrested following a rigorous stakeout during which the investigating team disguised themselves in clothes like Pathani suits sports wear to blend into the Govandi areaThe first case registered at the Antop Hill Police Station surfaced in March Following the FIR the police began to follow leads and began the investigation It was during court proceedings that the police began to see a pattern with similar robbery casesmdashone in Sion and another under the jurisdiction of VB Nagar Police StationThe modus operandi in all three cases matchedmdashuse of rod and a chopper to cut window grills and balconiesmdashmarking the first breakthrough in the investigation said Assistant Police Inspector Shivaji Madane of Antop Hill Police StationAccording to Madane who is also the investigating officer in the case the team began examining CCTV footage related to all three incidents Nearly 65 clips were reviewed to zero in on the suspect With the help of informants technical investigation and tipoffs the police tracked the suspectrsquos movements to the eastern region of Mumbai including areas such as Vashi Naka Chembur Chunabhatti Nehru Nagar Kurla and GovandiThe team began conducting frequent checks in the identified areas but tracking the accused proved challenging as he did not use any digital devices including a mobile phone making him untraceable said MadaneEventually the team received fresh intel about the suspectrsquos occasional lsquogotorsquo locationsmdashSathe Nagar in Mankhurd RCF Colony in Vashi Naka and Nehru Nagar in KurlaldquoWe stationed ourselves at these spots in disguise Since these areas are Muslimdominated some of us wore Pathani suits salwars and kurtas while others dressed like sportsmen or regular locals to blend in with the crowd We even wore chappals instead of our usual police shoes and maintained a low profile waiting patiently for the suspect to show up After several days he finally arrived at Sathe Nagarmdashwhere we trapped and arrested himrdquo said MadaneExplaining the modus operandi police officials said that Kamble typically targets closed houses apartments and even shopsmdashmostly during the night with fewer breakins reported during the day ldquoUnlike typical breakins where doors are forced open Kamble gains entry through windows or balconies We have seized an iron rod and a chopper from him which he used to break window grillsrdquo added MadaneThe accused identified as Nikhil Anil Kamble does not have a permanent residence although his mother and brother reside in the Vashi Naka area He deliberately keeps his distance from them to avoid being traced and changed his SIM card every two weeks for the same reason said police officials They added that Kamble often went off the grid by avoiding the use of mobile phones to maintain a low profileDuring interrogation Kamble revealed that he steals antique items and resells them at a shop in Santacruz The gold and silver articles he steals are melted down and later sold to various shops where he poses as a regular customerldquoHe has over 21 cases registered against him and is wanted at several police stations He was previously arrested and jailed but was released on bail in October 2024 Since then he has continued committing similar offences and remained untraceable by local police stations and even the crime branchrdquo said a police officialatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params