| Sandeep Soparrkar's cupboard, which the accused carried from Juhu to Bhiwandi, contained Rs 60 lakh and valuables |
Choreographer Sandeep Soparrkar's servant Umesh Sahu was a respected man in his hometown in Bihar.
He used to give out money on interest, and many sidekicks followed him around. He started his money-lending venture recently, after his return from Mumbai about a month ago.
Till a few days ago, few in Sahu's hometown knew how he got so much money. That changed after a Juhu police team landed at his doorstep.
Sahu, 25, had arrived in his hometown after cleaning out Soparrkar's house of cash and valuables worth Rs 60 lakh. He was helped in the theft by another of Soparrkar's hired hands, 22-year-old Manchul Yadav, who is still at large.
What surprised the cops was how Sahu and Yadav managed to carry a 60-kg cupboard from Soparrkar's Juhu home all the way to Bhiwandi, where they dismantled it and removed cash and valuables.
The cops say Sahu wanted to teach Soparrkar a lesson. A year-and-a-half ago, he had alleged Soparrkar tortured him and he had quit the job. After some months, he came back, pleading for the job. Once Soparrkar relented, he got Yadav, a history-sheeter, a job with Soparrkar as well.
Sahu told the building watchman, who saw him carry the cupboard out, that it contained clothes his boss needed immediately.
Sahu was brought to the city from Bihar on Saturday. The cops said it would be difficult for Soparrkar to recover the entire amount, as Sahu had loaned it to many.
Senior Inspector Deepak Kathkade from Juhu Police Station said, "Sahu's accomplice will be nabbed soon. I cannot divulge more details at this stage."
Soparrkar too met Sahu in the lock-up. He said, "I don't trust a word of what this man says now. He told me he is not the thief, but I just don't believe him. I trusted him, treated him like family, and this is how he chose to repay me."
Saying how close Sahu was to his family, Soparrkar said, "My four-year-old child asks me why is Sahu uncle in jail. What do I tell him?"
