Mumbai, Jul 24 (NIE): A 46-year-old man, wanted in connection with about 20 cases of theft, has claimed that he had been stealing to “fund his cancer treatment”. The police said the accused, Salim Sheikh, had stopped using mobile phone as a precautionary measure to evade arrest, but was nabbed from a PCO in Dadar where he had come to call his wife. The police said the accused was wanted in at least 20 cases across Mumbai, and has cases registered against him in Navi Mumbai and Thane police stations as well.

Sheikh, a native of Osmanabad, also kept changing his location and would sometimes reside at his brother’s house in Ambernath, said the police. On July 1, the accused broke into Adhyaru Industrial Estate in Lower Parel and stole Rs 11.5 lakh, said the police.

The N M Joshi police said the accused was named in connection with three cases registered with them, including for thefts at A to Z Industrial Estate and Kamala Mills earlier this year. An officer from N M Joshi police station said, “Sheikh would visit the spot before targeting any industrial estate and, after locating the safe, he would break into the office on the next public holiday and steal cash.”

The accused, in his confession to the police, claimed that he had learnt to break locks from one of his accomplices five years ago. The investigators said, after the theft on July 1, a CCTV footage had revealed the identity of the accused. The police also learnt that the accused had married thrice. “His first wife lives in Thane, second in the central suburb of Mumbai and third in Osmanabad,” said an officer.

“A team was dispatched to Osmanabad after it was found that accused was in touch with his third wife… the team was asked to keep a watch on her movements for 12 days. We managed to get his wife’s mobile number. Her call data record revealed that she was constantly getting calls from a PCO in Dadar,” said an officer. Later, the police team laid a trap at the PCO and nabbed the accused, following which they learnt that Sheikh had been receiving treatment for lung cancer.

“Sheikh’s cancer was detected two years ago, of which he was almost cured of a month ago. However, Sheikh claims he is still under medication, due to which he was in need of money,” said an officer. The police said Sheikh had transferred Rs 8 lakh of the stolen Rs 11.5 lakh to his third wife’s account, of which the police have recovered Rs 6 lakh. The accused has been booked under relevant sections of trespassing and theft. A court has remanded him in police custody till Tuesday.