Man held for cash theft at Manipuri woman's shop in Mumbai

A 23-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stealing Rs 55,000 cash from a shop run by a Manipuri woman residing in Mumbai, police said on Sunday.

The accused, Nitin Sunkappa Pawar, a resident of Kalina suburb, committed several such thefts and robberies by targeting Manipuri people in the city, as he felt they would not approach the police after the offence due to the "language barrier", an official at Vakola police station said.

In the latest case, one Yaomee Kahungsan Abunksi (40), who runs a provisions store in Kalina, approached the police last Wednesday, complaining that somebody stole Rs 55,000 from the cash box kept at her shop, he said.

Based on the CCTV footage of the area, the police zeroed-in on the accused and nabbed him the same day, he said.

During interrogation, the accused admitted to have committed several crimes, including mobile phone robberies and bag-lifting, by targetting Manipuri people residing in the metropolis, the official said.

"Before the latest crime, he escaped police action in previous incidents as no one came forward to lodge an FIR against him," he said.

The accused told the police that his prime targets were Manipuri people as he felt they usually did not go to the police due to language barrier, the official said, adding that "such criminals were taking advantage of this".

The accused has been booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 380 (theft), 454 and 457 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night in order to commit offence), he said.