Journalism of Courage
How a ‘where are you now’ phone call blew cover on Pune armed robbery
Following an armed ambush in Kharabwadi where Rs 1.08 lakh was stolen at gunpoint, the police traced cell tower locations to find that a former employee had called the cashier of the transport company 30 minutes prior to the crime.
The police have arrested five men in connection with a gunpoint robbery in Kharabwadi (AI generated Image)
It had all the hallmarks of a pre-planned street ambush. Late on the night of August 10, a transport company pickup truck travelling through Kharabwadi near the Chakan industrial belt in Maharashtra was waylaid by a white SUV from the front and a red scooter from behind. Four men armed with pistols allegedly confronted the occupants, assaulted them, and fled into the dark with Rs 1.08 lakh in cash.
However, what initially appeared to be a street robbery quickly unravelled into an insider job, cracked by the police through a single, seemingly harmless phone call made minutes before the crime.
The incident took place around 10.50 pm on August 10, when Dhiraj Jawaharlal Yadav, 23, a cashier at a transport company in Nighoje, was returning to the company premises with the driver, Rambhavan Singh. Dhiraj had withdrawn Rs 1 lakh from an ATM in Kharabwadi, as directed by his manager, to make advance payments to the company’s drivers. He was also carrying Rs 8,000 of his own.
The suspects allegedly intercepted their vehicle, threatened the duo at gunpoint, physically assaulted them, and made off with the cash bag.
“It was a serious offence, and the team from Unit 4 of the Crime Branch was directed to investigate,” said Rohidas Pawar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), who monitored the probe. “There were no immediate apparent clues. Over 120 CCTV footage clips, phone call data, and technical leads were scrutinised.”
The call that gave away the plot
The crucial breakthrough came when the police mapped out Dhiraj’s incoming call records. Approximately 30 minutes before the robbery, Dhiraj had received a call from an unfamiliar number. The caller was Sarthak Popat Date, 21, a former company employee who had quit just 20 days prior.
Sarthak called Dhiraj to inquire about some pending salary dues that he had not received after leaving the company. However, during their conversation, Sarthak allegedly asked Dhiraj about his whereabouts, what he was doing at the time, and other details regarding his movements.
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“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,” said an officer.
“The timing and location raised suspicion. Why would a former employee, who had left the company just weeks earlier, contact Dhiraj from a different number shortly before he was carrying a large amount of cash, and why was the caller’s phone near the eventual crime scene?” the officer added.
Following the technical lead, police traced Sarthak to his hometown in Jambut Khurd, located in Ahilyanagar’s Sangamner taluka. They quickly identified and arrested four co-conspirators from the same village: Ajit Bansi Pardhi, 22; Satyawan Sunil Devkar, 19, whose phone was used for the call; Hanumant Bhaskar Date, 27; and Yash Somanath Pawar, 20.
Officers also recovered the getaway vehicles, the pellet handgun used to threaten the victims, and the stolen cash.
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“Sarthak knew the company’s routine regarding cash withdrawals for driver payouts. He used that insider knowledge to plan the interception,” the officer added.
All five accused are currently held in judicial custody.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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