Five Bangladeshi nationals arrested for armed robbery in Thane

Five persons were arrested for an armed robbery in a house in Kashimira locality in Bhayander here in which cash and jewellery amounting to Rs 9.98 lakh was looted, police said today.

Police said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the five persons are Bangladeshi nationals, with three of them arriving in the country a few days ago by air and the other two by train.

In the early hours of March 22, a group of armed robbers cut the grills of a house near Chena creek here and, after tying up the residents, looted Rs 9.98 lakh in cash and valuables from them, said police.

Following the incident, special police teams were formed and they had fanned out in different areas of the district to apprehend the criminals, police informed.

"Acting on a tip-off, a team led by senior inspector Venkat Andale and assistant inspector Pramod Badak of the Crime Branch yesterday kept vigil at a bridge between Vasai and Versova here and stopped a Chevrolet car. The tip-off was correct and police managed to arrest five persons from the car in connection with the March 22 incident," a senior official said today.

The five have been identified by the police as Mohammad Palsha Mohammad Ismail Hawaldar (32), Bappi Akbar Sheikh (27), Mohammad Latif Sheikh (31), Mohammad Akram Irfan Ali (28), all from Khulna in the neighbouring country. The fifth, Lukman China Mian is from Bangladesh's Sylhet, police said.

"Their involvement in other incidents of a similar nature is being investigated. They were produced before a magistrate who remanded them in police custody till April 2," the official said.