Police have arrested four men, including two auto-rickshaw drivers, from Gujarat for allegedly stealing Rs 11.25 lakh cash collected as student fees from the treasury of a college in Maharashtra`s Palghar city, officials said on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI.

The theft took place between 5.30 pm on July 23 and 7.45 am on July 24 at the Dandekar College located on Boisar Road, a police release said, reported PTI.

An official from the college later reported that Rs 11.25 lakh kept in the college`s accounts department treasury had been stolen by unidentified persons.

Based on technical analysis and intelligence inputs, the police identified the four accused and arrested them from Umbargaon in neighbouring Valsad district of Gujarat on Monday with the help of local police, the release said, reported PTI.

“During interrogation, they confessed to committing the theft. Out of the stolen cash, Rs 4.05 lakh has been recovered,” it said.

The accused have been identified as Shubham Virendra Singh (21), Murali Manohar Pawar (23), both auto-rickshaw drivers, Arun Lakhan Chavan (19), a mason, and Farooq Firoz Khan, all hailing from Valsad, the release said, reported PTI.

They have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 305(A) (theft in a dwelling house) and 331(3)(4) (house trespass or house break), the police added.

Woman poses as man to loot jewellery of Rs 1.5 crore from relative`s house; arrested

Meanwhile, a 27-year-old woman disguised as a man to gain entry into the residence of her sister`s father-in-law and robbed jewellery of more than Rs 1.5 crore from the house in Maharashtra`s Palghar district, police said on Wednesday, reported PTI.

The incident took place at Manickpur in Vasai area on Monday afternoon and the woman was apprehended from Navsari in Gujarat the same night, they said.

The accused, dressed up as a man, came to the house of her sister`s 66-year-old father-in-law, who lived alone, under the pretext of wanting to see it for some deal.

After entering the house, the accused took the elderly man to the toilet on the pretext of checking it, locked him inside and fled with 1.4 kg of gold ornaments and 2.3 kg of silver items, collectively valued at Rs 1,50,84,050, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Madan Ballal said, reported PTI.

Based on the victim`s complaint, an FIR was registered the same day under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for theft, robbery and wrongful confinement, and the police examined 75 to 80 CCTV footages, he said.

“We came across a footage showing a man carrying the stolen items and placing them somewhere before disappearing from sight, after which a woman collected them,” the official said.

Along with technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, the investigators received a tip that a relative of the victim in Gujarat could be involved in the crime.

Acting swiftly, a crime branch team from here, with the assistance of the Navsari police, apprehended the woman, identified as Jyoti Mohan Bhanushali, from Gujarat late Monday night, Ballal said, reported PTI.

“During interrogation, she confessed to hatching the plan herself. Disguised as a man, she visited the house of her sister`s father-in-law, knowing he lived alone, and carried out the robbery,” the official said, reported PTI.

The police have recovered all the stolen items, he said, adding further probe was on into the case.

(With inputs from PTI)

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