Pimpri-Chinchwad, 20 October 2025: Technology can be a boon or a bane, depending on how it's used and some criminals seem determined to misuse it. Thieves are increasingly leveraging tools to commit calculated crimes. In one such case, the Crime Branch of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC) has apprehended two notorious repeat offenders who were using Google Maps to scout and plan a series of burglaries.
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Officials reported on Saturday that the duo had been systematically identifying target sites using satellite imagery and map tools. The police have recovered stolen property worth ₹3.60 lakh from the accused, marking yet another win for the department’s smart investigation strategies.
Crime Branch Unit 4 executed the operation in which Anand Singh Parvat Singh Sardar, aged 22 from Rajasthan, and Gurudeep Anand Singh Siglikar, aged 20 from Madhya Pradesh, have been apprehended. They are facing charges at Sangvi Police Station.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Pawar stated that valuables valued at Rs 360,000, which had been stolen, were retrieved. Additionally, a motorcycle taken from the Pimpri Police Station jurisdiction, which was utilized in a crime, was confiscated. The suspects are well-known repeat offenders. They traveled from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan by bus and used Google Maps to identify locations before breaking in and fleeing.
In talks with Free Press Journal DCP (Crime) Dr Shivaji Pawar said, "On 29th September, a theft was reported in the Old Sangvi area. The thieves had stolen gold and silver jewellery. Unit 4 started a parallel investigation. Led by PI Arvind Pawar, over 120 CCTV footages were checked, and the accused were tracked. Police Constable Prashant Syed's technical analysis helped in knowing that the accused had fled to Dungarpur in Rajasthan and Ratlam in MP."
Police Sub-Inspectors Bharat Gosavi and Mayuresh Salunkhe, along with constables Mohammad Gaus Nadaf, Kunal Shinde, and Ravi Pawar, apprehended the pair in Dungarpur and Ratlam. They were then presented in court, where police custody was obtained.