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Pune gang used social media to track gold runner’s movements; arrested with 9kg gold
The same was recovered by the police. The total recovery is estimated to be worth Rs 3,70,71,000, according to the police
PUNE The Pune rural police arrested four men on Sunday for dacoity worth Rs 3.7 crore.
Gold weighing 9.6kg was stolen from a jeweller’s employee by the accused. The same was recovered by the police. The total recovery is estimated to be worth Rs 3,70,71,000, according to the police.
The accused have been identified as Ganesh Dagdu Pawar, 27; Abhijit alias Balu Dilip Chavan, 23; both residents of Sangola in Solapur; Mohsin Hamjekhan Mulani, 25 and Prathamesh Vijay Bhambure, 26, both residents of Kaltfal colony in Atpadi, Sangli. The police are currently on the lookout for one more person involved in the case.
The complaint was lodged by Appa Sriram Kadam, the victim, an employee of a jeweller.
“The victim used to constantly update his social media account and the accused took advantage of the same. The four men knew exactly when he was leaving. Bhambhure is in the same business as the victim and kept tabs on him.” said Sandip Patil, superintendent of Pune rural police.
The victim would routinely go to Kolkata and return with raw gold on the Howrah Express on specific days, at a specific time, said the police. Once Kadam, alights the train at Daund, he takes a private vehicle from outside the station to go to the respective nearby villages.
The four men, including one still at large, waited for Kadam outside Daund station and offered him a ride to Bangarwadi, according to his compliant. As he got into the car, the four men took the gold blocks that were stuck to Kadam’s body under his shirt while holding him at knifepoint, Kadam told the police.
While Bhambure hatched the plan, he stayed away as the four men travelled and carried out the plan in a Tata Manza car owned by Abhijit Chavan.
The five men melted the gold and divided it into equal parts weighing close to 2kg per person. The police retrieved some of the gold from Bhambure, and then the others. A total of 9.6kg gold in the form of 29 biscuits and three plates, along with an air gun and four mobile phones were seized by the police. The police also found the car used in the crime, according to senior PI Ghanwat.
“Even though gold weighing more than 9kg was recovered, the complainant had only reported 1kg to have been robbed from him,” said senior police inspector Padmakar Ghanwat of Pune rural police local crime branch.
A case under Sections 392 (punishment for robbery) and 34 (common intention) of Indian Penal Code has been registered against the accused at Daund police station.
