The Mumbai Crime Branch has cracked a high-profile case by arresting two brothers, Rakesh and Umesh, in connection with the theft of two rifles and 40 live rounds from a high-security zone in the city. The case, which surfaced at the Cuffe Parade police station on September 6, had raised serious concerns about security lapses. According to Crime Branch DCP Raj Tilak Roshan, CCTV footage was crucial in piecing together the sequence of events. Investigators found that Rakesh had stolen the rifles and cartridges while Umesh waited outside to collect them, after which the duo boarded a train and escaped to Telangana via Pune.
The police launched a massive hunt, forming nine special teams and deploying both human intelligence and advanced technical surveillance to track the fugitives. After days of pursuit, the brothers were apprehended in Telangana. During preliminary interrogation, it was revealed that Rakesh had been living in Mumbai since last year and had previously worked in Kochi, raising questions about whether he had been planning the theft for some time.
While the case was initially registered as a simple theft, the gravity of the crime prompted police to invoke the Arms Act. The investigators are now probing the brothers’ possible motives and whether they intended to supply the stolen weapons to any extremist groups. Authorities have highlighted that the region where the two were arrested has a known history of Naxalite activity, which has added a new layer of suspicion to the case.
The focus of the ongoing investigation is to uncover whether the brothers acted independently or were part of a larger network with links to Naxal groups. Police officials have stressed that every angle is being examined carefully, given the potential implications for national security.
