IT company staff stole autos to fund liquor addiction; held in Thane

Thane: Police have arrested a former data entry operator at an IT company who allegedly stole several auto-rickshaws in Maharashtra's Thane city to fund his liquor addiction, an official said on Thursday.

The accused, a post-graduate in commerce, who had also worked as a driver at Dubai airport, learnt the theft techniques from information available on social media platforms like YouTube and WhatsApp, Naupada police station's senior inspector Abhay Mahajan said.

The man would steal an auto-rickshaw, operate it until the fuel ran out, and then abandon it. The fares he collected were used to purchase liquor, to which he got addicted after his wife left him some years back due to which he had been depressed, the official said.

The police have seized four stolen auto-rickshaws, a motorcycle and Rs 3.30 lakh cash from the accused, who had also worked as a data entry operator at an Information Technology firm, he said.

Following a complaint about a missing auto-rickshaw in Naupada area of the city, the police started a probe and examined footage of 70 to 80 CCTVs near the incident spot and other routes.

This led to the identification of the accused, a resident of Mumbra area here, the official said.

On Monday, the police got information that the accused was planning to visit Naupada area again with the intention of stealing another auto-rickshaw.

The police laid a trap and apprehended the accused, the official said.

During interrogation, the accused told the police about his involvement in auto-rickshaw thefts in various localities across the city, including Naupada, Wagle Estate and Rabodi, he said.

Based on his questioning, the police have so far detected seven cases of auto-rickshaw theft registered at the Naupada, Rabodi and Wagle Estate police stations, the official said.

Three other cases were earlier registered against the accused at the Naupada, Kopri (both in Thane) and Vakola (in Mumbai) police stations for auto-rickshaw thefts, he said.