Twice beaten,cops beat bare path

In the first incident which took place in the early hours of April 29,the dacoits even attacked the policemen who had come to the rescue of the victims. The dacoits then had attacked two trucks,threatened the driver and cleaner with sharp weapons and drove away with cash and gold valuables worth Rs 30,600. The dacoits even attacked a police team and injured assistant police inspector AD Phadtare with sharp weapons.

With even the police being attacked,the regular commuters using the expressway have expressed shock and have demanded that the patrolling be increased on the e-way,especially during night hours. Commuters said that many families travel in private cars on the e-way and the incidents in the past two weeks have terrified them.

Rajesh Choudary,a businessman and a regular traveller of the e-way,said,“This is a question of human life. The concerned authorities councerned should install cameras every 100 metres on the expressway and the road should be lit well. This would go a long way in solving the problem. Considering the huge amount spent on building the expressway,these improvements would cost a pittance.”

While Mukund Sarda,principal of New Law College,another regular traveller,said the police patrolling on the e-way should be increased,especially during the night hours. “The number of police outposts should also be increased throughout the e way track.”

Ravindra Kadam,Superintendent of Police (Pune Rural) said,“The dacoits who attacked are the same people who struck on April 29. We are on their trail and will track them down.”