The police tracked the phone number of one accused in order to track the cohort down (Representational)
Three men have been arrested for robbing senior citizens of valuables after engaging them in a conversation on the road, the police said on Tuesday.
A 67-year-old woman recently lodged a complaint with Agripada police regarding the incident.
Three men approached her while she was walking down NM Joshi road in central Mumbai, "hypnotized' her while talking, and stole gold jewellery worth Rs 2.40 lakh from her, she told the police.
The police checked the footage of around 150 CCTV cameras and found that the suspects had switched as many as six taxis while fleeing after the theft.
At one point, one of them was seen speaking on the phone. The police tracked down the mobile number which was active at the spot at the given time, and tracked him and two others down at their rented flat in Thane, an official said.
Two of the accused were identified as Ramlal Chunnilal Rathod alias Gabbar (38) and Dharma alias Buccha Gangaram Solanki (37), both residents of Delhi that have multiple cases of cheating registered against them.
Laxman Shamu Devras (37), a third accused, lives in Thane and has offenses of murder, as well as offenses under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act registered against him, the official said.
All three were arrested under the Indian Penal Code's section 420 (Cheating) and further investigation is underway, he added.
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