Thane: Property Crime Cell of Thane City Crime Branch has arrested a seasoned history-sheeter belonging to the Irani gang, cracking 22 cases of chain-snatching and police impersonation across Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Investigators have recovered 227.5 grams of stolen gold ornaments and 5 grams of silver, valued collectively at Rs 32.30 lakh, from his possession.The accused has been identified as Mohammad Zakir Sayyad, alias Mohammad Sanga, alias Mammu Irani, a resident of Rashid Compound in Kausa, Mumbra.According to police officials, the arrest came during a parallel probe into a robbery registered under Sections 309(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Wagle Estate police station. Acting on specific confidential tips and technical analysis, a special squad led by Senior Police Inspector Janardan Sonawane zeroed in on Sayyad and nabbed him in a discreet operation.During sustained custodial interrogation, the accused confessed to pulling off multiple daytime chain-snatching and impersonation crimes along with his accomplices across Thane, Dombivli, Kalyan, Badlapur, and Bhiwandi.Police records reveal that Sayyad has a deep criminal footprint, with at least 20 prior cases of street robberies and fake-cop scams registered against him across police stations in Thane, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai, Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar), as well as Mahesana, Kamrej, and Umra in Gujarat. He was also actively wanted in three other snatching cases registered with Wagle Estate and Kapurbawdi police stations.With his arrest, investigators claim to have solved 22 cases lodged across Vishnunagar, Shrinagar, Wagle Estate, Badlapur (West & East), Chithalsar, Thanenagar, Rabodi, Kolsewadi, Shil Daighar, Dombivli, and Bhiwandi City police stations, registered between 2025 and 2026.
