Senior police inspector Prasad Hasabnis arrested Sandeep Rokade (25) of Keshavnagar in Mundhwa and Rajan Pote (28) of Satavwadi in Hadapsar. “Pote is an IT officer in the mall. Police have recovered Rs 1.37 lakh in cash and jewellery worth 7.13 lakh from the duo. The recovery was made from the residence of Pote,” said Jallindar Supekar, deputy commissioner of police.

Supekar said that it was found that the shopping mall operators had not noted the proper names, addresses and other details of their employees, which caused troubles to the policemen investigating the case.

Hasabnis said that business manager of the mall Laukik Deshmukh has lodged a complaint in this regard with the police. “The mall’s close circuit television was not functioning for the last two months. Earlier also, a theft of Rs 55,000 was reported in the mall on January 20, this year,” he said.

Hasabnis said that Rokade checked out of the shopping mall by offering his biometric features (finger impressions) on the machine but immediately told the security officer that he had forgot his lunch box inside the mall. He made re-entry in the mall and stole the cash and valuables and when he made exit, the security did not frisked him, he added. “Pote and Rokade were in contact with each other when the latter was stealing valuables from the mall,” he said.