The Dindoshi Police in Mumbai have arrested three youths, including a former bus cleaner, for allegedly breaking into the Bollywood Park cash counter office at Film City in Goregaon East and stealing Rs 4.11 lakh.
According to the police, Vaibhav Manohar Khadye, a 33-year-old staffer at Bollywood Park, reported that an unknown person had stolen money from the cash counter. Following his complaint, the police registered a case under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
In an operation led by Senior Inspector Mahendra Shinde, detection officer, Sub-inspector Ajit Desai, along with his team, launched a probe using CCTV footage, technical surveillance, and undercover informants. Based on the leads, they nabbed Husain Manzoor Ahmed Bhat (19), Shubham Ravishankar Pandey (25), and Abhishek Padurang Pardhe (20) for the alleged crime.
The police said they recovered Rs 2.35-lakh cash and a motorcycle used in the crime.
“During the probe, it was revealed that Bhat had earlier worked at the Bollywood Park as a tourist bus cleaner for two years but was removed from service due to drug addiction. He was familiar with the layout and operations of the office. Pandey and Pardhe were his close friends. The mastermind of the crime was Pardhe, who made the plan, while Husain and Pandey executed it. They robbed the cash and fled on a bike,” said an officer from Dindoshi Police Station.
The officer added that the accused were identified after an ex-colleague of Bhat recognised his half-covered face captured on CCTV.
All the three accused were arrested and produced before the Borivali court on September 18. They have been remanded in police custody till Sunday.
Background
According to the complaint filed by the operations manager of Bollywood Film City, the ticket counter at Gate No 1 serves as the cash-collection point. Visitor are charged Rs 1,100 per ticket and the daily collection is stored in an iron cupboard. Every two to three days, the amount is deposited at the head office in Malad West.
On the night of September 14–15, staff member Nikesh Rathod closed the office, counted the day’s collection – which came up to – Rs 4.90 lakh, placed it in a bag, and locked the cupboard. When employees returned the next morning, they found the cupboard tampered with and the cash missing.
A case of theft was subsequently registered at Dindoshi Police Station, leading to the arrests.
