In a major breakthrough, Ambegaon Police have arrested notorious criminal Tauseef Jameer Sayyed alias Chuha, the leader of the Chuha Gang, along with three accomplices who were preparing for robbery in the city. All of them were arrested during a patrolling operation in the Santoshnagar area of Katraj on Monday. The arrests were made as part of the police's intensified combing operation aimed at curbing crime in the city.

The accused have been identified as Tauseef Jameer Sayyed alias Chuha (28, resident of Santoshnagar), Suraj Rajendra Jadhav (35, resident of Solapur), Marcus David Isar (29, resident of Dhanori) and Kunal Kamlesh Jadhav (25, resident of Vadgaon Sheri).

According to the police, an informer gave them a tip-off that the gang is planning a robbery in the city. Acting on it, under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Sharad Zine, Ambegaon Police laid a trap near Delight Bakery in Katraj. The accused were apprehended after they gathered at the said location.

Meanwhile, police nabbed them red-handed with a total of ₹13.71 lakh worth of items, including 15 grams of mephedrone (MD) valued at ₹3 lakh, a pistol worth ₹40,500 and one live round, ₹80,000 in cash (suspected to be proceeds from drug sales), an iron rod, two two-wheelers and a four-wheeler used in their criminal activities.

Regarding the matter, a case has been registered at Bharti Vidyapeeth Police Station under Sections 310(4), 223 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Sections 3(25), 4(25) of the Arms Act and Sections 22(a), 29 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Senior Police Inspector Sharad Zine of Ambegaon Police Station said, "Tauseef alias Chuha, the gang leader, has been evading arrest for six months and is a wanted criminal in multiple cases, including theft, extortion, drug trafficking and attempt of murder. A total of 15 cases have been registered against him, and he had been banned by the court for two years. His accomplices also have a history of criminal activities."

Police teams are interrogating them, and soon additional members of the gang will be arrested.