Pradip alias Baiju Sangapans release from jail could barely last long. Within a month of being released,after serving a three-year sentence,Pradip was sent behind bars for alleged forgery and theft. Pradip had returned to Mumbai after serving three years in jail after a drug bust by the Nashik Railway police. However he was arrested again for stealing a bag belonging to a passenger of the Chennai Express. The passenger,one Balmukund Singhal,a businessman,was returning from Tirupati. At 5:30 when Singhal was fast asleep,Pradip allegedly stole his bag which contained some clothes,Rs 900 ,a silver clock,an ICICI cheque,a HDFC cheque book and some deposit receipts from the bank with Singhals signature. Pradip then went to the HDFC branch at Dadar TT and withdrew Rs 25,000 by forging Singhals signature. He then went to the branches in Mahalaxmi and Opera House but those cheques bounced as Singhal had blocked his account by then. Pradip was finally arrested when he went to the LT Ruparel branch in Malabar Hill to deposit a cheque. The assistant manager noticed that the account had been just blocked. He immediately called Singhal who brought the police. The Malabar hill police have filed a case of forgery and theft against Pradip. He will be in police custody till January 9. The police are also searching for someone called Shiva who may be an accomplice to Pradip. He had returned 18 days before committing this crime. Before this he was sentenced by an Ahmedabad court to one-and-a-half years in jail for housbreaking, said assistant police inspector G Palange of Malabar Hill police station. Palangr added,When the cheques at Mahalaxmi and Opera house bounced he went to LT Ruparel. There the assistant manager called Singhal. We arrested Pradip and recovered all the cheques,the clock and Rs 24,500 from him.
