Cops blow whistle on "looters" in uniform

Their activities were unearthed during the interrogations of Dhende and Pawar, who were arrested by the Vishrantwadi on charges of stealing the gold chain of a woman travelling by a PMT bus at Kalas last week.

During interrogations, Dhende and Sangita revealed that they had joined hands with some other constables to blackmail and extort pick-pocketers and chain-snatchers. They also provided the names and addresses of some of the history-sheeters whom they had extorted, police added.

Later, the Wanowrie police approached a history-sheeter, Mangal Baban Gadve of Sarvodaya Colony in Mundhawa and recorded her first information report (FIR) against Dhende and his accomplices.

The FIR named three other members as Ramesh Kamble, Prakash Pardeshi and Patil. It alleged that they robbed her of her gold ring and Rs 1,500 in cash about two years back.

Mangal claimed that she had gone to commit a theft at Battis Shirala village in Sangli district two years back when Dhende and his accomplices met her and threatened to arrest her.

According to the FIR, the racketeers had demanded Rs 5,000 to let Mangal off the hook. Mangal claimed that she had promised to pay the money later. A week after that, Mangal alleged, Dhende and Patil approached her at Ghorpadi and demanded money.

They relieved her of her gold ring and Rs 1,500 in cash when she said she did not have money, her FIR claimed. Mangal added that Dhende and his accomplices had also extorted two other history-sheeters whom she knew.

Wanowrie police said the rackeeters used to pawn the stolen ornaments to a grosser at Ghorpadi. Stolen gold ornaments, totally weighing 754 grams, have already been seized from the grosser.

Dacoity: An attempt to strike at a jewelry shop in Morgaon near Bhosari, made by 15 unidentified men armed with sticks, was on Tuesday foiled by the shop owner.

The dacoits succeeded in escaping as the wireless system fitted on a police van patrolling in the area failed to function.

The owner of the Omkar Jewelers shop, Prakash Gangadhar Dahiwal (22) of Vikas Colony, has lodged an FIR.

The FIR said Dahiwal was sleeping inside his shop located at the Moshi Chowk when the men started pelting stones at its shutter. Dahiwal, who woke up and peeped out of a window, immediately raised an alarm.

The unidentified men fled as the residents of the nearby area switched on the lights and stepped out of houses on hearing Dahiwal’s cries for help.