Mumbai: Santacruz police arrested a 26-year-old man from a village in Bihar’s Darbhanga district for a burglary of over Rs 1 crore from the fifth-floor rental flat of Bollywood actress and Big Boss 2016 second runner-up Lopamudra Raut (32) on July 14. The accused, Chandan Mukhiya, reportedly used a bamboo stick to reach the fifth-floor balcony, broke the door, and entered the actress’s bedroom to steal the valuables. He escaped using the same route and executed the burglary within an hour. Police were searching for Mukhiya’s uncle Lalu (45), who helped in disposing of the stolen property and also helped him buy land.DCP (West Zone-2) Mohit Garg confirmed the arrest of the accused, who was produced before the local court on Saturday after getting his transit remand in Darbhanga on August 2.The burglary occurred when Raut was not present in the flat after she went to her hometown in Nagpur on July 20. She learnt about the burglary when she returned to the residential building on Juhu Tara Road in Santacruz (West) on July 27 at 2 pm and found she was unable to open the door as it was locked from inside. Police said she alerted her flat owner, who informed her that he would call a keysmith to break the lock, but she told the flat owner that she would go to the Santacruz police station and would be back with the cop.In the complaint, “A constable, Patil, who accompanied me along with the two building staff tried to unlock the door but they too failed. Then we sent one of the building staff, Shaifullah Shaikh, to enter the flat through the balcony which he noticed was broken. He unlocked the door and I found my bedroom ransacked with my money and gold valuables stolen from the locker after breaking the cupboard.”Based on Raut’s complaint, DCP (West Zone-2) Mohit Garg supervised multiple teams, including ACP Vinod Gaonkar, senior inspector Dattatray Masvekar, inspector Sakharam Mole, assistant inspector Sanjay Kalhatkar, sub-inspector Umesh Kaulge, assistant sub-inspector Jaywant More and staff. Police said the accused was identified and tracked through technical analysis of Mukhiya’s registered mobile number, which placed him at the scene of the crime on July 14 night, confirming his involvement.Police said the team travelled to Darbhanga and, with the assistance of the local Sonki Police Station, tracked down and apprehended Mukhiya.On Sunday, Raut told TOI, “I applaud the Mumbai police who have speeded up the case and nabbed the thief. Still it is a long way, I have complete faith and trust in the Mumbai police in getting back my stolen property.” Police said they called Raut to verify the recovered property and to know the total count that was stolen.
