3 held for jewellery thefts on express trains in Thane

NEW DELHI: Three persons, among them two jewellers, have been arrested for allegedly stealing jewellery from passengers of express trains and purchasing stolen valuables in Maharashtra's Thane district, the Government Railway police said on Tuesday.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) was investigating a theft case where jewellery was stolen from a woman's bag on the Indore-Daund Express in January, according to Senior Inspector Vijay Khedkar.
The investigating team scrutinised various clues and CCTV footage whilst maintaining surveillance on night-time long-distance trains.
On February 18, the authorities apprehended the suspect, Mahesh Arun Ghag, who acknowledged stealing the woman's jewellery and revealed selling the items to two jewellers at Zaveri Bazaar, Mumbai.
The investigation led to the arrest of the jewellers, Tanaji Mane (45) and Niteen Yele (44), in Mumbai.
According to the official, the jewellers confirmed they had melted the stolen gold and transformed it into blocks.
The authorities recovered gold blocks valued at Rs 8.64 lakh from the two jewellers. The official noted that the accused were linked to three theft cases registered at Kalyan and Vasai Road GRP stations.