NAVI MUMBAI: In a major breakthrough, the Raigad Police’s Local Crime Branch (LCB) busted an interstate burglary gang allegedly involved in a series of daylight house break-ins across Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, after a months-long operation and recovered ₹15 lakh cash and 24 bullets that were allegedly buried by them before fleeing to Uttar Pradesh.
According to the police, the gang was involved in at least ten burglaries reported in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Satara, and other districts of Maharashtra. The kingpin, Shahnawaz Ikram Qureshi, 50, a notorious criminal from Sikandrabad in UP, has more than 20 cases registered against him in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi — including two murders and four attempted murders. His associates Shamim Islam Qureshi and Hina Shahnawaz Qureshi were also arrested, while two others — Naushad Ikram alias Imran alias Ikramuddin Qureshi and Ehsan — are still at large.
Speaking of their modus operandi, Anchal Dalal, superintendent of Raigad police, said, “They travelled in a car to scout affluent neighbourhoods and struck during the day when residents were away for work, and made away with gold jewellery and cash.”
Between July and August 2025, several such burglaries were reported in Raigad, prompting the formation of a special team to track the suspects. WIth the help CCTV footage of the region and technical evidence, the team attempted to apprehend the gang but the gang managed to stay ahead of the police and escaped each time. On August 3, acting on a tip-off that the gang was spotted entering Mangaon, the police intercepted the their car, but they rammed through the barricades and fled, after which the police launched a statewide manhunt for them.
The team’s further investigation revealed that the gang had fled to to Sikandrabad in Uttar Pradesh. Subsequently, two teams were dispatched to UP, where, after a month-long undercover operation with the help of the local police, the teams carried out an armed raid involving over 40 personnel and arrested the mastermind, Shahnawaz Ikram Qureshi. During interrogation, he confessed to a series of burglaries in Roha, Pali, Mahad, and Shrivardhan (Raigad); Mandangad and Ratnagiri city (Ratnagiri); and Wai (Satara), the police said.
Further investigation revealed the gang’s clear pattern: they would commit burglaries in one district and hide in another, rotating between Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Satara to avoid being caught.
“Shahnawaz Ikram Qureshi is a habitual and manipulative criminal who often fakes illness or inflicts injuries upon himself to delay investigations and make false allegations against police officers. He even flaunts his criminal exploits on social media, calling himself a ‘daring criminal’. Locals in Sikandrabad have reportedly held processions to welcome him home,” Dalal said.
Last week, the police recovered gold ornaments worth ₹15.5 lakh and 24 live bullets buried in a forest near Mangaon — believed to have been hidden by the gang while fleeing the police barricade in August.