Serial Burglar Booked Flat, Bought Land With Booty

Accused targeted homes near railway tracks, disguising himself as a woman, jogger or office-goer to evade arrest and steal lakhs of rupees

- Megha Sood

MUMBAI: A thief who shimmied up pipes on buildings near railway tracks and broke into homes to steal has been arrested, revealing an impressive booty. The man, a native of Bihar who lived in a rented flat in Malwani in Malad, had used the proceeds of crime to book a flat in Malad, buy a plot of land in Bihar, and collect a small pile of gold in his flat.

Malad police said Ranjitkumar Upendrakumar Singh, 44, used an ingenious array of disguises to escape detection. He either dressed as a woman, an early morning jogger or an office-goer so that he would melt into the crowd in case police scanned CCTV footage to identify him.

Police have recovered ₹13 lakh from Singh's bank account, and melted gold and silver worth ₹37 lakh from his flat. A preliminary investigation revealed that Singh had sent ₹10 lakh to his wife in Bihar to buy a plot of land. He had also given ₹6 lakh as a token for a brand new flat in Malwani — all the money came from the proceeds of crime.