5 held for robbing pvt luxury bus

The city police have arrested five persons for allegedly robbing a private luxury bus after beating the driver and the cleaner on Thursday night. Investigations revealed that the suspects robbed the bus over a financial dispute with the bus owner.

The city police have arrested five persons for allegedly robbing a private luxury bus after beating the driver and the cleaner on Thursday night. Investigations revealed that the suspects robbed the bus over a financial dispute with the bus owner.

The suspects have been identified as Nishidh Gokul Sawant (23) of Balaji Nagar,Krishna Vityhal Gaikwad (47),Aniket Krishna Gaikwad (22),Sagar Shamrao More (23),all three from Gujarwadi,Katraj and Mohsin Salim Pathan (20) from Osmanabad. Bus driver Shivaji Kamble (26) of Mandke Vasti on Pune-Solapur Road lodged the complaint at the Hadapsar police station. Police have booked the suspects under Section 395 of IPC.

Senior police inspector Pandharinath Mandhare said Sawant who was working for bus owner Dhananjay Ghodke is also into travel business. Ghodke had purchased six four-wheelers on a vehicle loan. Sawant had rented Ghodkes four-wheelers to IT firms in Chandan Nagar. Due to a financial dispute between them,Sawant allegedly hired four men for robbing Ghodkes bus, said Mandhare.

Three suspects booked Ghodkes bus for Shirdi on Thursday. But when the bus crossed Mantarwadi bypass road,they asked the driver to stop as they wanted to relieve themselves. However,when the bus stopped,two more suspects came to the spot in a four-wheeler and all five then thrashed the driver and the cleaner,snatched the keys of the bus and then fled with the bus. We recovered the bus from a parking lot at Khed Shivapur on Friday evening, said Mandhare.

The suspects were produced before the court on Saturday. They have been remanded in police custody till January 23.

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