Nabbed for robbery bid, accused owns chawl in Andheri

History sheeter Santosh Gopal Nair, who was arrested in Pune on Thursday for a bid to rob a jewellery store, owns a 44-room chawl in Andheri’s MIDC area. Located at Malpa Dongri, the chawl is named ‘Sheela Nair’, after his mother, said the police.

Although Nair dropped out of school, his elder son studies at an engineering college in Pune, while his younger son studies at a junior college in the city.

Nair started committing house break-ins and thefts at 16. He got into the habit as there were several jewellery shops behind his house, said police.

After operating alone for a decade, Nair then formed a team of six people called ‘Nair gang.’ Since then, he has been arrested in several cases, but continues to commit thefts after being let out.

Akbar Pathan, deputy commissioner of police, said, “He was arrested in several cases in Mumbai and Thane. In 2014, he was arrested after being caught red-handed robbing a jewellery shop in Jogeshwari. However, he got out on bail and continued committing thefts.”

Explaining his modus operandi, a crime branch official said, “After committing thefts, Nair would leave the city for a few months. He would rent homes in cities such as Pune, Solapur, Alibaug and Palghar to evade arrest. Sometimes, he went to his native place in Kerala.”

On Thursday, he was arrested from Pune for allegedly trying to loot a jewellery shop in Dahisar on March 8, 2004. While police had managed to arrest four of his aides and seize their weapons, Nair had fled the spot.

According to police, the habitual offender has been booked in 131 cases so far, including 79 at MIDC police station, 11 at Andheri police station, nine at Dahisar station, seven at Goregaon station and two at Oshiwara station.

Nair has also been booked by crime branch units 10 and 12 in multiple cases.