Mumbai: Cops use Facebook to nab thieving couple

Mumbai : The Andheri police have arrested a husband- wife duo for stealing a silver Sai Paduka from the famous Sai temple in the area after identifying them on CCTV camera footage. CCTV cameras installed in the temple recorded the entire incident, which took place on October 6.

Sadly, the couple's four-year-old son, too young to understand that his parents have committed a crime, also finds himself in the police lock up, since he cannot stay without his mother.

The couple was nabbed after cops posted their pictures (recovered from CCTV footage) on Facebook following which an alert citizen contacted the police and informed them that the couple in the photograph stayed in Virar. On Friday the cops walked into their house and nabbed them.

Senior police inspector Pradeep Gosavi of Andheri police station said, "Manohar Narkar and his wife Minal have been arrested and sent to police custody. As their child is just four years old, he, too, will be with his mother. Our team has spoken to the couple and will soon recover the Sai Paduka, which was stolen. We are finding out if they have a history of committing crimes." According to the investigating officers, Narkar and his wife along with their son had entered the temple on October 6.

While seeking blessings in front of Sai idol, they swiftly removed the Sai Paduka. The husband took the paduka and handed them over to his wife, who hid the pair in her clothes.

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While leaving the premises, Minal placed a cloth at the spot where the paduka lay, so no one noticed the missing valuables for a while.

Later, a devotee noticed that the Padukas were missing. The Andheri police was informed and CCTV footage retrieved.

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The cops then did a smart thing: they took still images from the CCTV footage and posted the pictures on social media sites.

After the duo was identified, a police team reached the area and nabbed the couple along with the child. They were produced in court and remanded to police custody.

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