The Kandivali Police arrested a 50-year-old woman Monday for allegedly stealing cash and valuables from houses across Mumbai. The police said that the accused resorted to stealing as she could not afford the medication of her differently abled child.
Identifying the accused as Chikoobai Kale, a resident of Pune, police said she would often travel to Mumbai and steal valuables from homes before returning to Pune. Over the last five years, she has allegedly targeted several houses in this manner.
“She would come to Mumbai, sleep on pavements at nights and during the day she would try to enter the premises of housing societies by posing as domestic help, after which she would look for houses with doors left open or ajar,†a police officer said.
Kale was arrested after she targeted a senior citizen on MG Road in Kandivali (West).
An officer added, “The victim’s husband had gone to a temple. Seeing the door ajar, Kale sensed an opportunity to enter. The woman in the house was taking a bath at the time.†Hearing a noise, she stepped out and saw someone fleeing.
“After she checked the cupboard, the woman saw that some of her jewellery had been stolen,†the officer said. She then raised an alarm and alerted neighbours after which the Kandivali Police were called and a case of theft registered.
Tracking CCTV footage, investigators saw that the thief took a local train from Kandivali station to CSTM from where she boarded another train to Pune.
“On further investigation, we came to know that the woman had previously been arrested for similar offences by Shivaji Park Police. Our team managed to get her address and went to her house in Pune,†said the officer. Kale was subsequently taken to Mumbai and placed under arrest.
