Nagpur: A 24-year-old man who allegedly rented a house in Hingna and then committed house-breaking and vehicle thefts in nearby areas for the past five to six months has been arrested by Hingna Police. The accused was traced with the help of CCTV analysis, an AI-based system and information from confidential informants. Police said the investigation has led to the detection of six house-breaking and theft (HBT) cases and one motor vehicle theft case.
The arrested accused has been identified as Rahul Shivdas Rathod (24), a native of Shirpur village in Khaknar taluka of Burhanpur district, Madhya Pradesh. He was staying on rent at a house near Deshmukhwadi Phata in Hingna, Nagpur.
The case came to light after a burglary at a country liquor shop owned by Anil Charanbabu Chanpurkar (49), a resident of Ward No. 4, Raipur, near Hingna Masjid.
According to the police, Chanpurkar had opened his country liquor shop on Dhangarpura Road at around 8 am on August 25. He closed the shop at around 10.30 pm and returned home. When he arrived to open the shop at around 8 am the following day, August 26, he found the locks and latches of both main doors broken.
On entering the premises, he also found that the lock of a rear door had been damaged. Upon checking the shop, Chanpurkar discovered that ₹41,600 in cash kept at the counter was missing.
The shop’s CCTV footage showed an unidentified man, believed to be around 25 to 30 years old and of a sturdy build. He was wearing a black-and-white full-sleeved T-shirt with stripes, a cap bearing a symbol and blue slippers.
Following the complaint, Hingna Police launched an investigation. Officers and personnel of the investigation team visited the crime scene and surrounding areas and examined CCTV footage continuously. Police closely analysed the suspect’s clothing and walking pattern and also deployed confidential informants to gather information about the unidentified accused.
Investigators subsequently used an AI-based system to analyse the CCTV footage and obtain an image of the suspected accused. Based on the image and information received from confidential sources, police identified the suspect and laid a trap in the Hingna area.
The police team successfully apprehended Rathod and questioned him. During the interrogation, police allegedly established his involvement in the liquor-shop burglary and other theft cases registered in the Hingna police station limits.
Police said Rathod had been living in a rented house in the area and allegedly used the locality as a base while committing crimes in nearby areas over the past five to six months.
The investigation has so far resulted in the detection of six HBT cases and one motor vehicle theft case, according to police. Further investigation is underway to ascertain whether the accused was involved in any other thefts.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Jitendra Bobde, with the Hingna Police investigation team and personnel of Zone 1 Police playing a key role in identifying and apprehending the accused.
