Mumbai: Thieves run off with Rs 20,000 worth of shoes from rack kept outside flats in Borivli building

CCTV grab shows two women leave with the shoes. Pics/ Sourced via Ananya Raje

A series of thefts in the Jai Devki ‘A' building in Borivli West has left residents alarmed and frustrated, as multiple pairs of expensive shoes were stolen from outside the apartments on Sunday (June 22) evening, exposing serious lapses in the building's security system, one being the faulty intercom which was fixed just prior to the incident after not working for around two weeks.

The event came to light when the families approached a mid-day reporter residing on the seventh floor, where the footage was captured. Residents Disha Kanal and Feny Pranav Gajjar lost their Nike shoes worth Rs 8000 and Rs 12,000, respectively, which they recently bought. "They picked up the relatively newer-looking shoes because there were, in fact, three pairs of Skechers in the shoe rack, which was left ajar," said Disha Kanal.

The two pairs of shoes that were stolen. Pics/Sourced by Ananya Raje

The CCTV footage accessed around 10.30 pm on Sunday showed two unknown women entering the building around 6.20 pm and leaving around 20 minutes later. However, the staircases lack CCTV, and they were seen on the 7th floor last. No entry was made in the visitor register. The security guard on duty, Tunna Singh, assumed the woman was a maid. "So many came; we thought she was a maid. I was appointed here only 20 days ago," said Singh. He also admitted that there was not enough staff on that day.

Following the theft incident, the residents on Tuesday (June 24) approached the MHB Colony police station to lodge a complaint. Police visited the premises on the same night and issued verbal warnings to the security team. "The police told the guards to be more alert and only questioned why they hadn't registered the visitor," said Disha. "We didn't feel like they took it seriously."

The residents also claimed that the same incident has happened multiple times, some in the past two weeks. The previous thefts did not come to the notice of the residents, as they were only alerted to keep their shoe racks inside. "These incidents have happened before, but no one took it seriously. This is not just about the shoes; it's about the security," said Gajjar.

Advocate Godfrey Pimenta, trustee of the Watchdog Foundation, said, "Under the Development Control Promotion Regulation, passages and common areas must be kept free of obstruction. Leaving shoe racks or loose shoes outside flats comes across as a violation. CCTV cameras should be installed on every floor and in the corridors to record activity.

"Outsiders often enter without proper verification, and a security guard may even sleep during odd hours, which creates opportunities for theft. The managing committee can and should impose fines or replace security staff and even place a CCTV to ensure the security is doing his job."