Nagpur: In a crime caper straight out of a thriller, the Nagpur Crime Branch has busted a high-profile burglary racket by arresting notorious thief Naresh Mahilange and his attorney-turned-accomplice girlfriend, along with two others, for a Rs 25 lakh theft at a businessman’s home in Mahal.
The dramatic arrest unfolded on Saturday night, just days after businessman Sanket Jasani and his family returned to find their home ransacked while they were away at a wedding in Amravati. The burglars had decamped with cash, gold, and diamond jewellery worth Rs 25 lakh.
Gold Rate
06 June 2025
What stunned investigators was the involvement of Mahilange’s girlfriend, a lawyer who had previously secured his bail in 18 criminal cases. Far from steering him toward reform, she allegedly aided his crimes, provided fake SIMs, helped dispose of stolen loot, and even bailed out his gang members.
Teen’s video and stolen getaway car cracked the case
The turning point came when a teenage eyewitness filmed the theft, capturing the gang’s getaway car. That very vehicle, police discovered, was stolen from Patansaongi under Saoner Police Station limits.
The police intensified their surveillance, leveraging over 60 CCTV clips, technical tracking, and cell phone data—especially of the lawyer girlfriend already on their radar.
Finally, acting on a tip-off, a joint team of the Anti-Burglary Squad and Unit-3 swooped in on the gang at Mhalgi Nagar, arresting:
• Naresh Ankalu Mahilange (30) of Dipti Signal
• Amrapal alias Hanuman Patil (34) of Pardi
• Fardeen Yakub Khan (25)
• Sonu Yogesh Shahu (32) of Mhalgi Nagar
They also seized stolen valuables worth Rs 21 lakh, a knife, and the getaway scooter and car.
Mahilange, with a criminal résumé of over 60 cases, had been hopping from Koradi to Wathoda to Beltarodi, stealing bikes and cars before hitting homes. Police say he used a stolen Activa to reach Patansaongi, where he switched to a stolen car for the Mahal heist.
Interestingly, cops say it was Mahilange’s unique walking style, caught on a CCTV camera, that helped identify him—even with his face covered. That, coupled with surveillance on his girlfriend’s phone, sealed his fate.
The crackdown was led by DCP (Crime) Rahul Maknikar, Addl CP (Crime) Vasant Pardeshi, and ACP Abhijit Patil, with the field team including API Nitin Churpal, PSI Madhukar Kokate, and head constable Rajesh Deshmukh, among others.
Police are continuing their probe to track remaining accomplices and recover the rest of the loot.
