Mumbai, April 21: The Antop Hill police have arrested six individuals from Mumbai, Nalasopara, and Goa in connection with the alleged abduction of an employee and the robbery of Rs 32.5 lakh in cash near the Punjabi Camp area of Sion Koliwada on April 14.
Six accused arrested, cash recovered
The arrested accused have been identified as Rahul Eknath Gaikwad, 30, Irfan Ali Ahmed Khan, 33, Vivek Vilas Kakde, 32, Santosh Vasant Malekar, 44, Swapnil Chandrakant Patil, 34, and Mohammad Rizwan Ansar, 41.
Police said two of the accused were arrested from Nalasopara, three from Goa, and one from Nehrunagar, Kurla, in Mumbai. Officials also confirmed that Rs 29.69 lakh of the stolen cash has been recovered.
Details of the robbery
According to the FIR, complainant Shravan Laxman Rawal, 45, a resident of Virar (West), works with Geeta Apex Marketing Pvt. Ltd., a textile-related company operating from Santacruz.
The company is owned by Yash Gangwani, 47, and Hani Gangwani, 45, while their father Ram Gangwani, 70, who resides in Punjabi Camp, Sion Koliwada, oversees business operations.
Ram Gangwani’s brother Mohan Gangwani runs a textile shop named Mogul Fabrics in Andheri, while the financial transactions of both businesses are handled by manager Dilip Bhatia.
Police said that on the morning of April 14, instructions were allegedly shared on a WhatsApp group used for financial coordination, directing cash deliveries to be made.
As per the complaint, Rawal collected Rs 82.5 lakh in cash from Mogul Fabrics and first delivered Rs 50 lakh to Ram Gangwani’s wife, Geeta Gangwani, at Sion Koliwada. The remaining Rs 32.5 lakh was meant to be delivered to a textile trader in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).
Abduction and robbery
At around 3:30 pm, while attempting to book a Rapido taxi outside the Gangwani residence, Rawal was intercepted by two men. Moments later, a grey Scorpio SUV arrived at the spot with two more occupants.
The four men reportedly forced Rawal into the vehicle, questioned him, checked his mobile phone and identity documents, and demanded details of his employer.
After confiscating the bag containing Rs 32.5 lakh, the accused dropped Rawal near a bridge in the Ghatkopar area and fled the scene. The victim then took a rickshaw back to his office and informed the management, following which a police complaint was filed at Antop Hill police station.
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Probe and arrests
Police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and launched an investigation.
Officials said technical analysis and intelligence inputs led them to suspects linked to former employees of the company. One key suspect was detained from the Chembur area, who allegedly confessed to involvement along with his accomplices, leading to the arrest of six persons. Further investigation into the case is underway, police said.
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