Mumbai police arrest couple for stealing cash from shops on pretext of buying goods

Mumbai, May 8 (PTI) Police have arrested a couple for allegedly stealing cash from shops in Mumbai and several other places on the pretext of purchasing goods, an official said on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Milan Baiju Vathiyat (24) and his wife Atulya Milan Vathiyat (21), hail from Thrissur in Kerala, said the official from Khar police station.

Their arrest came on a complaint concerning a theft at a garment shop in Khar on May 1.

As per the complaint, a young couple came to the shop, and the woman distracted the shopkeeper by asking him to show her clothes. Her husband opened the cash counter and stole Rs 53,500.

The couple then left the shop, politely saying they didn’t like the clothes.

The theft was discovered after some time, prompting the shopkeeper to approach the police, the official said.

After identifying the accused through CCTV footage, police launched an investigation. Police subsequently laid a trap at Oberoi Mall in Goregaon, a western suburb, and arrested the couple on Wednesday, the official said.

The two have confessed to committing such thefts in places, including Delhi, Bhopal, Chennai, Bangalore, Jabalpur, Pondicherry, Bangalore, Panvel, Kalyan, Nagpur, Nashik and Thane, the official said.

Police said the couple usually targeted large shops in the morning. While the woman would talk to the staff and keep them engaged, her husband would steal cash from the counter, the official said, adding that further investigation is underway. PTI ZA NR