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After a week of concerted efforts by a 50-man team of policemen, Ayaz Ansari (32) was arrested by the DN Nagar police from Khar on Wednesday evening.
His distinctive limping gait and missing eye were the clues that led the police to the notorious serial molester who is alleged to have molested at least 25 minors all over the city.
After a week of concerted efforts by a 50-man team of policemen, Ayaz Ansari (32) was arrested by the DN Nagar police from Khar on Wednesday evening. The police said he was arrested after investigating officers identified him based on CCTV footage related to two molestation incidents that he was allegedly involved in.
“Apart from the cases that we know about, Ansari has confessed to 12 more cases,” Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria said.
Officers said Ansari had a history of snatching away cellphones from children and teenagers and selling them for drugs. He was arrested by the Crime Branch in 2013 for a robbery in Malad. He was later released and subsequently arrested in connection with a molestation case at Powai.
Interestingly, molestation was never Ansari’s primary intention when he approached his victims. “Ansari would accost children in dark corners of streets with the intention of robbing them of their cellphones. However, whenever he was under the influence of drugs, he would also molest his victims,” said Assistant Police Inspector Mohan Herpude of Crime Branch.
According to police, the first clue about Ansari’s identity came when they scanned CCTV footage of the incidents that occurred in Vakola and Sion. Ansari was seen most clearly in CCTV cameras in Sion, where he committed his last offence. “He has been captured clearly in cameras mounted on the road leading away from the station. He was also seen in CCTV cameras in Vakola last year, but his features were not clear,” said Ambadas Pote, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime). The Sion police will now seek his custody after they match his description with that in the complaint received last week.
“We knew he stayed with his brother in Dongri area of Andheri and immediately alerted our superiors,” said Herpude.
Ansari’s mother and brother,who were detained for inquiries, told the police he had not been home for the last six months.
On Wednesday, Ansari’s brother got a call from him from a landline from Khar, after which he informed the police. “Ansari had called his brother to ask for money. He asked Ansari to meet him in Khar. We went along with him and arrested Ansari,” said an officer with the D N Nagar police.
The police said Ansari had no permanent address and would sleep on pavements or mosque shelters after consuming narcotics.
Juhu Police station, where the first offence was first registered, also confirmed that Ansari perfectly matched the description of the accused wanted in the case registered in January 2013. “Ansari was not caught on CCTV cameras, but the complainant told us about the defect in his right eye and his limp,” said senior inspector Rajendra Chavan.
After a week of concerted efforts by a 50-man team of policemen, Ayaz Ansari (32) was arrested by the DN Nagar police from Khar on Wednesday evening. The police said he was arrested after investigating officers identified him based on CCTV footage related to two molestation incidents that he was allegedly involved in.
Officers said Ansari had a history of snatching away cellphones from children and teenagers and selling them for drugs. He was arrested by the Crime Branch in 2013 for a robbery in Malad. He was later released and subsequently arrested in connection with a molestation case at Powai.
Interestingly, molestation was never Ansari’s primary intention when he approached his victims. “Ansari would accost children in dark corners of streets with the intention of robbing them of their cellphones. However, whenever he was under the influence of drugs, he would also molest his victims,” said Assistant Police Inspector Mohan Herpude of Crime Branch.
According to police, the first clue about Ansari’s identity came when they scanned CCTV footage of the incidents that occurred in Vakola and Sion. Ansari was seen most clearly in CCTV cameras in Sion, where he committed his last offence. “He has been captured clearly in cameras mounted on the road leading away from the station. He was also seen in CCTV cameras in Vakola last year, but his features were not clear,” said Ambadas Pote, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime). The Sion police will now seek his custody after they match his description with that in the complaint received last week.
“We knew he stayed with his brother in Dongri area of Andheri and immediately alerted our superiors,” said Herpude.
Ansari’s mother and brother,who were detained for inquiries, told the police he had not been home for the last six months.
On Wednesday, Ansari’s brother got a call from him from a landline from Khar, after which he informed the police. “Ansari had called his brother to ask for money. He asked Ansari to meet him in Khar. We went along with him and arrested Ansari,” said an officer with the D N Nagar police.
The police said Ansari had no permanent address and would sleep on pavements or mosque shelters after consuming narcotics.
Juhu Police station, where the first offence was first registered, also confirmed that Ansari perfectly matched the description of the accused wanted in the case registered in January 2013. “Ansari was not caught on CCTV cameras, but the complainant told us about the defect in his right eye and his limp,” said senior inspector Rajendra Chavan.
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