Police look for two involved in vehicle theft

So far, Kanojiya and Shaikh have confessed to stealing five autorickshaws and a Hyundai Santro car. “They sold the car for scrap for Rs 80,000 and the autorickshaws for Rs 1.5 lakh each,” said Assistant Police Inspector Sanjeev Gawde.

During the course of investigation, the police found that Kanojiya had been arrested previously for grievously injuring his wife after an argument. “His family had got him married to a BMC school teacher. But he had withheld his thieving activities from her. When she eventually found out, Kanojiya severely assaulted her and she had to be admitted to a hospital for treatment. Kanojiya was arrested and is now out on bail. His wife has filed for divorce and a family court is hearing the matter,” he said.

Around the same time, Shaikh had also been asked to vacate his home, by his family, who Gawde said, were fed up with his thieving. “Both would now spend time together, sleeping in different parts of the city each night. They would look for autorickshaws that had been parked in parking lots and sleep there. In the morning, they would hot-wire the autorickshaws and drive them away. Before selling off the vehicles, they would fake number plates of them to avoid suspicion. They would spend the money on frequenting bars,” said Gawde.

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