2 days ago
Phone Call Helps Pune Police Crack Alleged Gunpoint Robbery
A transport company vehicle carrying cash was stopped by armed men near Kharabwadi.
The cashier and driver were allegedly threatened and beaten.
The robbers took Rs 1.08 lakh and escaped.
Police reviewed more than 120 CCTV clips and phone records.
They noticed that a former employee had called the cashier shortly before the robbery.
The former employee had asked where the cashier was and what he was doing.
His phone was also near the place where the robbery happened.
Police say this suggested that he used inside information to help organize the crime.
Five people were arrested, and police said they found the suspected weapon, vehicles, and cash.
A transport company truck was allegedly ambushed near Kharabwadi on August 10, with Rs 1.08 lakh stolen.
Cashier Dhiraj Yadav and driver Rambhavan Singh were allegedly threatened and assaulted by four armed men.
Police linked the robbery to former employee Sarthak Date after tracing a call made about 30 minutes before the crime.
Date allegedly used his knowledge of the company’s cash-withdrawal routine to help plan the interception.
Five accused were arrested, and police said they recovered the vehicles, pellet handgun, and stolen cash.
- Who
- Cashier Dhiraj Jawaharlal Yadav and driver Rambhavan Singh were allegedly robbed; police arrested former employee Sarthak Popat Date and four alleged co-conspirators.
- What
- A transport company vehicle was allegedly intercepted in an armed robbery in which Rs 1.08 lakh was taken.
- Where
- The incident occurred near Kharabwadi in the Chakan industrial belt of Maharashtra, while the suspects were traced to Jambut Khurd in Ahilyanagar’s Sangamner taluka.
- When
- The robbery occurred around 10:50 p.m. on August 10; the suspicious call came approximately 30 minutes earlier.
- Why
- Police allege that Date used knowledge of the company’s cash-withdrawal routine to plan the interception.
Key facts
- Reported loss
- Rs 1.08 lakh, including Rs 1 lakh withdrawn for driver payments and Rs 8,000 belonging to the cashier
- Victims
- Cashier Dhiraj Jawaharlal Yadav and driver Rambhavan Singh
- Investigation
- Pune Crime Branch Unit 4 reviewed more than 120 CCTV clips, call data, and technical leads
- Key lead
- A call from former employee Sarthak Popat Date about 30 minutes before the robbery
- Arrests
- Five accused people were arrested and placed in judicial custody
- Recoveries
- Police said they recovered the getaway vehicles, a pellet handgun, and the stolen cash
- Alleged motive
- Using inside knowledge of the company’s cash withdrawals for driver payouts
Quotes
Crime Branch officer
Police officer involved in examining the call and location data
“The call itself did not initially appear to be connected to the robbery. But as we examined the circumstances and the location data for the number, we noticed something unusual: Sarthak’s phone was operating in the vicinity of the area where the robbery subsequently took place.”
indianexpress.com
“It was a serious offence, and the team from Unit 4 of the Crime Branch was directed to investigate. There were no immediate apparent clues. Over 120 CCTV footage clips, phone call data, and technical leads were scrutinised.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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