Police said several house-breaking incidents had been reported in Diva East over the past two years, particularly in buildings where only a few flats were occupied. In these cases, several unidentified accused would break open door latches and window grills using iron tools and steal valuables, mainly gold ornaments
According to the police, the accused, Shivaji Gopal Sante, a resident of Ganeshwadi in Titwala East, has been operating in and around Diva for the past two-and-a-half years, targeting locked houses in sparsely occupied or under-construction buildings.
“The accused specifically targeted houses in under-construction or partially occupied buildings, where the lack of residents, security guards and CCTV cameras made it easier to carry out the thefts without being detected,” said a police officer.
Police said several house-breaking incidents had been reported in Diva East over the past two years, particularly in buildings where only a few flats were occupied. In these cases, several unidentified accused would break open door latches and window grills using iron tools and steal valuables, mainly gold ornaments. Multiple cases have been registered at the Mumbra Police Station.
A breakthrough in the investigation came after a complaint was lodged on February 8, regarding a theft at Flat No. 504 of Sai Sadan Apartment No.3 in Narayan Bhagat Nagar, Diva East. In the incident, the accused allegedly broke the door latch and lock of a locked house and made away with valuables. A case was registered at the Mumbra Police Station under sections 331(3 and 4) (house-trespass or house-breaking) and 305(a) (theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Amarsinh Jadhav, deputy commissioner of police (crime), Thane, said that Crime Branch Unit-1 analysed CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding areas. “The footage helped us identify a suspect who had visited the location on the day of the offence. We also found that he deliberately altered his travel routes to avoid being clearly captured on CCTV cameras,” Jadhav said.
Based on technical analysis and inputs from informers, the police kept the suspect under surveillance for 11 days before arresting him from Titwala on March 2. During interrogation, police found that Sante was allegedly involved in at least four house-breaking theft cases registered at the Mumbra Police Station over the past two years. Gold ornaments weighing around 1.03 kg and valued at approximately ₹1.39 crore were recovered from him.
Police said that a total of 48 theft cases were registered at the Mumbra Police Station during the period when the accused was active in the area, and they are examining whether he may be linked to some of those cases as well. Records also show that similar offences were registered against him at the Kalyan Taluka Police Station between 2017 and 2022.
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