India’s most successful chappal-chor makes Rs 40 lakh, gets accidentally caught

Local Press Co 5-point Snippet

1. When Matunga Police arrested a 27-year-old for robbery, they had little clue about his escapades as possibly India’s most successful shoe-stealer.

2. The accused, Ibrahim Shaikh, was arrested for a three year old robbery case by the Matunga police. During interrogation, however, Shaikh confessed to 15 accusations of thefts.

3. The most startling one, was his confession of stealing footwear worth Rs 40 lakh in a span of 2 years. Shaikh revealed that he would travel to posh localities like Peddar Road, Juhu, Bandra etc and steal around 8-10 pairs of branded shoes and chappals everyday.

4. He further claimed that he would only steal ‘new’ footwear from buildings, temples, mosques etc and later sell them at Chor Bazaar near Mohammad Ali road.

5. Shaikh’s shoe-stealing business earned him a comfortable life in Null Bazaar, with 3 wives and 4 children, because most of the people he robbed from never bothered to register a complaint for stolen footwear. Prior to this, he had tried his hand at selling movie tickets in black, dealing in second-hand mobile phones and minor thefts.