4 held for offering lift,robbing passengers

A gang that allegedly robbed passengers,especially women,after offering them lift and taking them to secluded spots,has been busted by the Pune Police Crime Branch.

A gang that allegedly robbed passengers,especially women,after offering them lift and taking them to secluded spots,has been busted by the Pune Police Crime Branch. Four suspects of the gang,including two women,all from Beed district,have been arrested.

The arrest follows a complaint from a 47-year-old woman on August 26 that two men and two women had given her a lift in a car to Ramabai Digambar Suryavanshi in Bopkhel and had taken her to a lonely spot near Katraj tunnel,where they robbed her of gold ornaments and told her to get down. Police zeroed in on the suspects after the description of one of the men she had given matched with a criminal on police records,who is yet to be nabbed.

The robbers allegedly threatened to kill the victim if she told anyone about the incident. They took away her mangalsutra,gold earrings and bracelet worth about Rs 90,000.

A team from Unit IV of the Crime Branch,led by inspector Sunil Pawar,investigated the case under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police Anant Shinde,Deputy Commissioner (crime) Rajesh Bansode and Assistant Commissioner Vinod Satav. Pawar told Newsline,The victims description of one of the suspects matched with a criminal on record,Mudassar Mansur Pathan of Beed. After a tip-off,the team arrested suspects,Sunil Macchindra Bhise (21),Datta Naraya Kengar (23),Laxmibai Awile (30) and Suman Bhise (41),all residents of Murshadpur in Beed district.

Pathan is still at large. Pawar said,The gang has been active in Pune and districts,like Beed. We will nab Pathan soon.

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