The Mumbai police have arrested the prime accused of an Rs.12 crore bank heist, Altaf Shaikh (33). Altaf was working with the bank for the last nine years, which was enough to gain the trust of officials. The custodian of ICICI bank, Altaf Shaikh, a resident of Mumbra pulled off a bank heist along with his sister, Nilofer. Altaf Shaikh was a custodian at ICICI bank, and as a custodian, he had bank vault keys. He spent a year strategizing the heist by tampering with the AC duct, enlarging it to pass money into a garbage chute.
The accused had his "Open Sesame!" moment after he deactivated the alarm and sabotaged the CCTV. Shaikh opened the vault and transferred bundles of Rs. 2000 to the chute through the AC duct. The bank officials caught him with his hand in a cookie jar after the DVR of CCTVs went missing along with the 34 crores, as per the officials.
Ashok Morale, additional commissioner (crime) Thane said, "The main accused had been arrested from Airoli by the Manpada police team. As of now, of the total Rs. 12 crores, 9 crores has been recovered from the accused and the investigation is on to recover the rest of the amount." The remaining cash was found in the AC duct.
Altaf had been looking for a place to stash Rs. 2.5 crore. He found a dilapidated building in Airoli. The abandoned place was frequented by miscreants, trespassers, and drug abusers. Their changing lifestyles alerted cops. Police kept close tabs on them and the chain of events led them to Altaf.
The theft occurred on 9 July 2022 and Altaf was on the run under the guise of a burqa. Thane police eventually nabbed Shaikh from Pune.
“We had been chasing him for many days. He has been traveling to different cities of Maharashtra, like Solapur, by public transport all these months. We were tracing him through technical details. He was in touch with his sister and had kept some cash in her house in Taloja. She was aware of his activities but since she hid details from the police, we nabbed her too. Finally, he was traced in Pune. We have recovered almost ₹8 crores from him,” said a senior police officer.
Although police arrested Nilofer and three others. The investigation is underway.
What could have compelled him to rob Rs. 12 crores?
While we probe a thief's mind, we learn that stealing isn't always about self-indulgence. It is not always done for economic reasons. There can also be psychological problems, and obsessive-compulsive disorders associated with it. Some steal for the thrill of it; some want to be seen as "Robin Hoods."
The Professor (Sergio Marquina) from the Money Heist cast, explained the motive behind the heist being rooted in 'CLASSISM.'
Criminal behavior is a conflict of Id, Ego and Superego!
As per media sources.