MUMBAI: A Juhu lawyer was left stunned after discovering that the police had released a suspected thief, apprehended from their building on Saturday, without taking any action. The building supervisor had visited the Juhu police station to inquire about the progress of the case, only to find that “the accused had been let go”. Zonal DCP Raj Tilak Roshan dismissed the allegation, clarifying that the suspect, being a minor, was not released but will be presented before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) as per protocol. The boy, aged 17, was apprehended when he entered the building in the early hours with the alleged intent to commit theft. DCP Roshan clarified, “Action has been initiated against him. We cannot arrest a minor. A case has already been registered… The claims made by the residents are false; police did take action.” Rakesh K Singh, the lawyer, later took to social media to question the police’s actions. His post garnered over 3,900 views on X (formerly Twitter). In it, Singh described the incident: “…around 1:45am, two thieves broke into our society’s property at Gandhigram Road, Juhu, and attempted to commit theft. Our society supervisor, along with his son and the security team, chased the thieves and managed to catch one of them. The police emergency number (100) was dialed, but it took an hour for the police van to arrive. Once the police arrived, the apprehended thief was handed over to them. Today, around 11am, when the society supervisor went to the police station to follow up on the case, he was informed that the thief had been released and allowed to go home. What kind of policing is this.” Singh reached out to @CPMumbaiPolice on X, questioning “the effectiveness of the CrPC and Bombay Police Act”. He urged the commissioner of police (@MumbaiPolice on X) to take cognizance of the matter and initiate action against the “erring officers”. Singh also mentioned unsuccessful attempts to contact the senior police inspector concerned and highlighted increasing incidents of theft in Juhu.