MUMBAI: A dramatic burglary unfolded at Mumbai film director Swapna Joshi’s Andheri (W) residence early Sunday morning. Dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, the thief scaled a drainage pipe to access the sixth-floor flat, sliding open the French window to gain entry between 3:10 am and 3:30 am.
Captured on CCTV, the intruder was seen rummaging through the hall while one of the family’s cats looked on. He then ventured into the kitchen and peeked into a bedroom where Joshi’s elderly mother slept. Avoiding the room where Joshi was sleeping due to a dog, he proceeded to the daughter’s bedroom, where he stole Rs 6,000 from a purse but missed a laptop.
The thief’s oversight was further compounded by the family’s second cat, who alerted Joshi’s son-in-law, Deven. Deven awoke, recognized the intruder, and chased him out of the flat. The footage shows the thief hurriedly escaping through the French window and descending six storeys via the same pipe.
Joshi, still shaken, has reported the incident to the police and sought assistance from filmmaker Ashoke Pandit. She has also arranged for safety grilles to be installed at the flat’s entry points.
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