Gangs strike terror on highway

In another incident, four gangsters had hired a Tata Sumo in Mumbai for Shirdi on November 23. On the highway at Wadivarhe, Igatpuri about 35 km from Nashik they assaulted the driver, gagged and tied him and threw him out of the vehicle, proceeding towards Madhya Pradesh. However, at Saundane, near Kalegaon, they rammed into a tree and local villagers admitted them to the Wadia hospital, Malegaon. The driver at Wadivarhe was spotted by the highway patrol and a message was flashed for the car, which was found wrecked at Saundane. When the police reached Wadia hospital, the accused had left the hospital, hiring an ambulance, which was intercepted at Dhule.

About a fortnight ago, the Sinnar police nabbed two persons, Dilipkumar Chauhan and Firoz Ali Khan, who confessed to having assaulted drivers and selling of the snatched vehicles. Four of their accomplices are absconding. The duo confessed to have murdered at least one driver in the past. Police believe that the vehicles are resold in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and even Nepal by gangs who operate on the national highways.