Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Crime Branch has busted a gang that impersonated police officers and robbed a trader of Rs 13.25 lakh after luring him to Kharghar on the pretext of selling gold at a cheap rate. Three accused have been arrested so far, and property worth Rs 15.14 lakh, including cash, a car and a motorcycle, has been seized. Police are searching for other members of the gang.
The incident took place on January 12, when the accused called sugar trader Manish Shinde from Sangli to Kharghar with an offer of low-priced gold. When Shinde arrived with the cash, the gang, travelling in a white Ertiga car, posed as police personnel and staged a fake raid. Threatening him with a baton, they snatched a bag containing Rs 13.25 lakh and fled from the spot.
A case was registered against unknown persons at the Kharghar police station, following which the Crime Branch launched an investigation. CCTV footage analysis revealed that the Ertiga car used in the crime had a fake number plate and that some accomplices were also moving on motorcycles. Based on technical analysis and surveillance, the police arrested Vishal Bajirao Tupe (35), Rohit Rajaram Shelar (26) and Manoj Ankush Bhandari (37) from Navi Mumbai and Kalyan.
During the investigation, police recovered the Ertiga car used in the crime, a motorcycle, several mobile phones and cash, taking the total value of seized property to Rs 15.14 lakh. The court has remanded the accused to police custody till February 6.
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“The accused posed as police officers to gain the victim’s trust and executed the robbery in a planned manner. The gang comprises around eight to ten members, and teams have been formed to nab the remaining absconding accused,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Prerana Katte.
The successful operation was carried out by the Crime Branch’s Central Unit under Senior Police Inspector Sunil Shinde, along with Assistant Police Inspectors Satish Bhosale, Sachin Kokre, Srinivas Tungenwar, Mahesh Jadhav, Police Sub-Inspector Rahul Bhadane and their team.
