The crime branch unit (Zone III) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police claim to have arrested four members belonging to the notorious “Bol-Bachchan” gang which targeted people-especially women and senior citizens to rob them of their valuables under various pretexts. Members of Bol-Bachchan (glib talkers) are criminals who cheat by engaging a target in conversation.
The gang had recently robbed a 59-year-old woman of her gold chain worth Rs.1 lakh by engaging her in a conversation by showing bundles of plain with real currency at the top.
Alarmed by the sudden spurt in such cases, the crime branch unit was roped in to conduct parallel investigations and nab the culprits at the earliest. On the virtue of footage captured by closed circuit tele-vision (CCTV) cameras, electronic surveillance and crucial inputs provided by informers, a team led by police inspector- Pramod Badhaakh apprehended the quartet who have been identified as-Shankar Rai (37), Mangal Nathuram Silawat (37), Sachin Chunnilal Rathod (22) and Raju Shankar Rai (25)- all natives of Uttar Pradesh who were currently staying in Boisar.
The police also recovered gold ornaments worth Rs.3 lakh from the possession of the quartet who have confessed of their involvement in two similar crimes in Nalasopara and Virar. The accused have been booked under section 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) which deals with cheating and joint criminal liability respectively.
Not ruling out their involvement in more such cases in other parts of the state and country, the MBVV police are conducting further investigations.
