Kandivli: Man wearing nightie robs jewellery worth Rs 8 lakh; strikes four times in 15 days

Residents of Kandivli West are on edge after four housebreaking incidents were reported from the area within a fortnight In each case an unknown man said to be wearing a womanrsquos nightgown entered homes through open windows and escaped with jewellery worth lakhs while the residents were asleep insideOn May 19 the accused entered a society located in front of the Kandivli police station Using the same modus operandi the man wearing a nightgown threatened the complainant who woke up from his sleep and fled with gold jewellery and cash worth Rs 8 lakhThe complainant Vishal Virendra Gandhi 48 lives with his wife son father Virendra Gandhi 78 and 76yearold mother Veena at Shivam Society in Fateh Baug Kandivli West Last week the accused targeted two societies on Kasturba Cross Road and another near Bal Bharti School in Kandivli West He was caught on multiple CCTV cameras and is believed to have committed the breakins between 2 am and 3 am when the families were in deep sleepVirendra Gandhi and his wife Veena stand near the window from where the accused had entered on May 19 The outside grill wasnrsquot locked at the time of the incident PicsBy Special ArrangementSpeaking with midday Virendra said ldquoAround 230 am on May 19 we were all asleep Due to the heat we had left the window partially open My daughterinlaw and her son had gone to Panvel The unknown man climbed up to the first floor using the AC unit on the ground floor and entered our home through the window He went into the bedroom where my son Vishal was sleeping He opened the cupboard and began stealing gold ornamentsSome coins fell causing Vishal to wake up The accused threatened and slapped him twice warning him not to make a sound or else he would kill the entire family ldquoMy son stayed quiet and the thief escaped with the jewellery ran after him but the culprit managed to flee using the front doorrdquo he addedVishal added ldquoI woke up with the sound and at first thought it was my father but then I saw a man with his face covered He threatened to kill the entire family I begged him not to hurt anyone I offered him my wallet from which he took around Rs 1500 I also offered my phone but he refused to take it and fled with the jewelleryrdquoAccording to Vishal the accused was captured on CCTV cameras in a neighbouring society ldquoHe spoke fluent Hindi and was about fiveandahalf feet tall I informed the police about everything Wersquove lost everything we earnedrdquo he saidThe same accused also entered a temple located in the same complex in the Fateh Baug area before the incident But the security guard was alert causing the accused to flee After this he entered the neighbouring Satyam Society He entered an apartment through an open window but the family woke up causing him to fleeGlitters but not goldAround 230 am on May 9 a similar incident occurred at Saphalya Society on Kasturba Cross Road The accused climbed up to the second floor and entered the Dharod familyrsquos flat While the family slept in the bedroom he stole jewellery and escaped However in the morning the family discovered that the stolen items were imitation jewellery mdash the real gold remained untouched inside a lockerSubsequently the same accused reportedly entered a neighbouring society and escaped with gold jewellery worth R6 lakh The Kandivli police have registered an FIR in that case During the investigation they found the same man was also involved in a theft at a society near Bal Bharti School Kandivli West where he escaped with jewellery worth several lakhsOfficial SpeakSpeaking with midday Senior Inspector Ravindra Adane of Kandivli police station said ldquoWe have reviewed all the CCTV footage and the accused appears to be the same individual involved in earlier cases He has committed multiple thefts in the Malad and Kandivli over the past few days We are actively tracing him Night patrolling in the area has been increased We are instructing all watchmen to stay alert and immediately inform the police if they spot any suspicious person The accused will be arrested very soon The accused didnrsquot use any weapons while going about his activitiesrdquoatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params