Gold heist: Cops to seek suspect’s custody

NASHIK: The Nashik rural police are in the process of taking the custody of the suspect arrested for the April 24 robbery of 58 kg gold from a transport van that was on its way from Mumbai to Shirpur in Dhule district.
Zishan, alias Saddam Ishtiyaq Khan, was arrested by the Naupada police in Thane district on July 26 from Baharabad in Hardwar and would be in their custody till August 1.The robbery of the 58kg of gold biscuits and cellphone handsets, totally worth Rs 15.68 crore, was one of the biggest crimes of its sort on the highway
The police have so far recovered cash, gold and other property documents, totally worth Rs 3.18 crore. Sanjay Mohite, the superintendent of police, Nashik rural, on Thursday said, "While we have not received any official communication from the Naupada police about Zishan’s arrest, it is understood that he was involved in the crime. We will follow the necessary procedure to ensure that he is in our custody once his custody in Naupada is over."
The officer added that in the past, the Nashik police had arrested two suspects but could not find any stolen articles on them. "We have recovered some stolen gold. But we need to interrogate Zishan further to recover the rest of the stolen gold and money," he said.
On the night of April 24, five suspects travelling by a car and impersonating as police personnel had intercepted a vehicle of Sequel Logistics transporting 60 kg gold from Mumbai to Shirpur near Wadivarhe in Igatpuri taluka. The accused threatened the persons inside the vehicle with pistols and robbed 58kg of gold in the form of biscuits and the cellphone handsets.
The Wadivarhe police had registered a dacoity case under section 395 of IPC and various sections of the Arms Act against the five suspects based on a complaint filed by Samir Pinjari, the delivery assistant at Shirpur gold refinery. The police said each gold biscuit weighed 1kg and carried the trade mark of Argor Heraeus SA, Switzerland.
The Naupada police were in search of Zishan in connection with an armed dacoity in 2014. They had received a tip-off that the accused was also involved in a dacoity at Wadivarhe of April 24. The police had launched a manhunt for him in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, Surat in Gujarat, Sunauli Border (India-Nepal Border) and Uttar Pradesh. But since the suspect was involved in a number of other crimes, he was well aware of the ways the police functioned. He kept on changing his mobile phones and SIM cards and every time he wanted to make a phone call, he did so by moving at least 100 km to 150 km away from the place where he resided.
The police received information that the suspect had purchased an SUV and other articles and arrested him from Ayesha Colony at Baharabad near Haridwar. They found 10 gold biscuits worth Rs 2.60 crore, Rs 12.50 lakh in cash, an SUV worth Rs 14 lakh and articles such as phones and a country-made pistol on him.