Courier staffer tipped off gang; 8 held in ₹1.55-crore jewellery heist

A courier employee allegedly tipped off a gang of eight men about a ₹1

A courier employee allegedly tipped off a gang of eight men about a ₹1.55 crore jewellery consignment, helping them intercept a van on the Pune-Bengaluru highway in Satara district. The accused allegedly threatened and assaulted the driver before fleeing with the valuables. Satara police on Saturday arrested all eight and recovered the entire consignment within 12 hours, officials said.

The courier van was carrying consignments for delivery in Kolhapur, as well as gold and silver jewellery meant for a jeweller in Satara. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

The robbery took place around 7 am on Friday, October 16, when a Mark Express Pvt Ltd courier van travelling from Pune to Kolhapur was intercepted near Kavathe village in Wai taluka.

The courier van was carrying consignments for delivery in Kolhapur, as well as gold and silver jewellery meant for a jeweller in Satara. The suspects allegedly followed the vehicle on three motorcycles from Khed Shivapur and Kapurhol before intercepting it on National Highway 48. Police said the men threatened the driver with a sickle, assaulted him and opened the rear door to steal a sack containing gold and silver jewellery and silver bars.

Investigators found that Gopinath Kadam, an employee of a courier company in Karad, allegedly shared details of the consignment with co-accused Mangesh Jadhav. Kadam was familiar with the movement of Mark Express vehicles between Pune and Kolhapur, police said.

The other accused are Hrutik Kadam, Aditya Kadam, Somnath Godse, Nikhil Kadam, Akshay Mozar and Nishid Sable. All eight accused are from Satara district.

According to police, Hrutik and Aditya followed the van on a motorcycle from the Khed Shivapur toll plaza, while Somnath, Mangesh and Nikhil pursued it from Kapurhol. Mangesh allegedly threatened the driver, while the others assaulted and intimidated him. Hrutik and Aditya then allegedly seized the sack from the van, police said.

Satara superintendent of police Nikhil Pingale directed teams from the local crime branch and other units to identify the suspects and recover the stolen property. Police examined CCTV footage, analysed technical evidence and acted on a tip-off received by local crime branch inspector Vishwajit Ghodke. The suspects were detained for questioning and subsequently arrested, officials said.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Pingale said, “During questioning, we learnt that one of the accused, Gopinath Kadam, worked for a courier company in Karad and was familiar with the movement schedule of Mark Express Courier’s pickup vehicles between Pune and Kolhapur. He informed co-accused Mangesh Jadhav that the pickup van would be travelling from Pune to Kolhapur on the morning of October 16, 2026, carrying gold and silver jewellery. The eight accused then conspired to rob the vehicle.”

Police recovered jewellery and silver bars valued at ₹1.55 crore, and a case has been registered under Sections 310(2) and 126 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).