Mumbai Police recently apprehended a man accused of stealing Rs 40 lakh from the music studio of renowned Bollywood composer Pritam Chakraborty. The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Ashish Butiram Sayal, had been working as an office assistant at the studio for nine years. He was tracked down and arrested in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district.
Days after the arrest, Pritam took to Instagram to express his heartfelt appreciation for the Mumbai Police, not just for solving the case but for restoring his faith after the betrayal by a long-time employee. Sharing pictures with the Malad Police team, the composer wrote, “Today I met real-life Singhams and CIDs— the janbaaz Mumbai Police Team of Malad Police Station to thank them… They didn’t just catch the culprit; they restored my trust that was shaken by a trusted employee of 9 years… And the story of how they caught him is even more daring and spicier than any fiction could be!”
He went on to acknowledge the officers involved, including Senior PI Vijaykumar Panhale, Detection Officer PSI Tushar Sukhdeve, and several other members of the investigation team.
The theft, reported on February 4, set off an extensive investigation by Malad Police. With no clear footage of the suspect from the studio’s CCTV, officers meticulously examined over 150 to 200 surveillance recordings from multiple locations, including Kandivali, Malad, Charkop, Versova, Marve Road, Malwani, and Samta Nagar.
The footage revealed Sayal’s elaborate attempt to evade capture – he was seen taking multiple rickshaws, walking for hours, and frequently changing locations. He traveled from the studio to Kandivali, then Charkop, Malwani, Samta Nagar, and Versova, spending nearly eight hours on the move before exiting the city.
Using advanced surveillance techniques, police traced Sayal to Samba. A team was dispatched to the Railway Road area, where he was arrested. During his capture, a large crowd gathered at the Samba police station, prompting officers to explain the case details before taking him into custody.
Authorities recovered Rs 34 lakh in cash, along with an iPhone and a MacBook valued at Rs 2.87 lakh. Some of the stolen money had already been used to purchase electronic gadgets, which were also seized.
Sayal has since been brought back to Mumbai for further legal proceedings.
