Mid Day

Mumbai, Nov 28 (mb):They had been locked inside the house they were robbing, and a crowd had gathered outside, waiting to beat them up
 
Ever heard of thieves calling cops for help? That’s what happened last week with seasoned thieves Raju Kamalsingh Thakur (24), Shaiful Arfan Rakamatmulla (24) and Lalbahadur Latatprasad Soni (20).

The trio thought they would get away with a housebreak, only to realise that the owners had locked them in and were waiting outside with a mob of more than 30 to give them a sound thrashing. Fearing the consequences, one of the thieves immediately dialled the cops for help.

At 7 pm, the Gaekwads had left their home at Sukh Sagar Welfare Society, in Kurar Village, Malad, to attend a funeral in Panvel.

Lock broken

At midnight, Vrushali (19) returned and saw the lock broken. She peeped through the window and saw three men moving about in the house. She latched the door from outside and raised an alarm. A crowd gathered, armed with bamboos, and kept calling the thieves out.

“Scared that the people would beat them up, the thieves moved the sofa towards the door. One thief dialled the police from his mobile and then put the cellphone in the water tank,” said Gautam Gaekwad (48), Vrushali’s father.

The police arrived at 2.30 am. Said inspector (detection) Deepak Phatangara, of the Kurar police station, “We got a call from the control room and were informed about the incident. I recognised two of the robbers since they were caught in earlier cases.”

The cops requested the mob to refrain from taking the law into their hands. “I assured the thieves that nothing would happen if they opened the door,” said Phatangara. When the three emerged, the cops arrested them.