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Filmy chase on Mumbai highway: Pune cops rescue abducted man near Panvel
The victim was identified as Kedarnath Jayant Wangikar, a catering businessman and moneylender from Warje Malwadi
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In a dramatic midnight operation on Saturday, Pune city police chased a Scorpio SUV from Kothrud to the Mumbai-Pune highway, coordinated with multiple police units, and rescued a 43-year-old man allegedly kidnapped by five men over a ₹7 lakh debt dispute, said police on Sunday.
The victim was identified as Kedarnath Jayant Wangikar, a catering businessman and moneylender from Warje Malwadi. One kidnapper was arrested, while three others escaped after getting out of the vehicle during the chase. Police are on their lookout.
On Saturday evening, police received a distress call from Dipashree Apartment in Dahanukar Colony, Kothrud. The caller, Vinay Prakash Pawtekar, informed the police that four unidentified men had forcibly taken his friend in a black Scorpio and were heading towards Mumbai.
A police patrol team immediately began tracking the vehicle and followed the Scorpio through Karve Road, Chandni Chowk and the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway. The police control room was alerted and coordinated with the Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune rural and Raigad police, as well as highway police, to intercept the vehicle.
Ulhas Kadam, senior police inspector at Alankar police station, said, “The Scorpio was spotted heading towards Mumbai on the old Pune-Mumbai highway. Despite attempts to intercept it, the driver allegedly sped through the Khalapur toll plaza, breaking through barricades. We continued the chase and alerted the highway security teams. A roadblock was subsequently set up near the Panvel exit, where police teams managed to stop the vehicle by blocking its movement from both sides. The abducted man was rescued and one suspect was taken into custody.”
Investigation revealed that the victim, Wangikar, had mediated a ₹7 lakh loan for two of his acquaintances from the accused. However, the two borrowers allegedly failed to repay the amount on time. Angry over the delay, the main accused, Samir Gulab Sheikh, allegedly abducted Wangikar and threatened to kill him.
A case was registered at Alankar police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 140(2), 127(2) and 3(5). The Scorpio used in the crime was seized.
