CCTV cameras in bus help nab jewel thief

The footage from a CCTV camera installed in a private bus came in handy for the police in arresting a man who stole jewellery from a merchant travelling by the vehicle.

The Upparpet police have arrested Ramgyana Kale, 26, a resident of Salse village in Solapur district of Maharashtra, on the charge of stealing jewellery worth Rs 33 lakh from a passenger in the bus. Kale’s seven associates are still at large.

According to the police, jewellery merchants Aravind Ram and Omprakash went to Bijapur on June 3 to sell the gold, while Kale and his associates were also in Bijapur to commit a dacoity at the jewellery market. 

When they noticed Aravind Ram and Omprakash trying to sell the gold, they hatched a plan to rob them. They followed the two all day. However, the jewellers could not sell the gold and booked tickets to Bangalore by a private bus. Kale and his aide Chandu too booked tickets in the same bus in the name of Rahul Bosle. They both sat behind the jewellers. 

The merchants had kept the bag containing gold near their feet. The passengers were all asleep when the bus reached Nelamangala around 5 am. Kale lifted the bag while Chandu blocked the view from the driver. Both asked the driver to stop the bus and got down at Nelamangala and joined the other suspects who followed the bus in a four-wheeler.

Upon reaching Bangalore, the jewellers realised that their bag was missing and lodged a complaint with the Upparpet police.

The police then verified the footage captured by the three CCTV cameras installed inside the bus, verified the booking details and identified the location of the cellphone number given at the time of booking, said the police. The location of the mobile phone was traced to Maharashtra and Kale was arrested.