Recently, the gang allegedly broke into the ground-floor flat of a Thane court stenographer at Kalyan's Rambaug, and fled with valuables worth Rs 6 lakh.

The police said that Puja Patel (30), the mastermind who is known as 'Lady Don' among criminals and who is two months into her pregnancy, belongs to a family of criminals. One of her three sisters-all are reportedly involved in criminal cases -is currently lodged at Adharwadi jail.

The two others have been identified as Tulsi Jadhav (25) and Bablu Sheikh (24). Tulsi is four months pregnant. Puja already has four children and Tulsi three. Bablu, the third accused, recently joined the gang, which has been reportedly involved in 16 cases of chain-snatching on local trains, looting, robbery and housebreaking. The police have seized goods worth Rs 5 lakh from them.

The trio walked up to the court stenographer's Kalyan flat in the afternoon. Bablu dismantled the window grille as the two pregnant women stood next to him, apparently in discussion. No one suspected them.

Sunil Patil, senior police inspector of Mahatma Phule police station, said, "We formed a team to investigate the case and soon learnt that 'Lady Don' Puja Patel was involved in it."

The team headed by police inspector Vijay Bhise traced Puja at Gayatri Nagar in Bhiwandi and arrested her. The police said she confessed to her crime. Her accomplices were arrested later from two separate places.

"They used to gain people's sympathy before committing a crime; 16 cases have been registered against them in police stations of Kurla, CST, Kalyan and Panvel," said police sub-inspector H N Jadhav. Senior police inspector Sunil Patil added, "They have been sent in police custody till January 28."