Beed: A jeweller who travelled to Kaij town hoping to purchase gold biscuits at a discounted price was instead robbed of ₹3 lakh in cash by a group of fraudsters. In a dramatic turn of events, two of the accused were caught after their motorcycle crashed into a car while attempting to flee, police said.
According to the police, the victim, Datta Kakade, a gold and silver trader from Takalgavhan in Georai tehsil, was allegedly lured via social media by a man who promised to sell gold biscuits smuggled from Dubai at prices below the market rate.
Police said the suspect first sent Kakade a friend request on social media and gradually gained his trust. The accused claimed he possessed tax-evaded gold biscuits imported from Dubai and invited Kakade to Kaij to complete the deal.
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On Sunday afternoon, between 3.30pm and 3.45pm, Kakade and his craftsman, Satish Dixit, arrived in Kaij in a red car (MH-23-BN-8381), carrying ₹3 lakh in cash for the purchase.
They were then taken by the suspects, identified as Appa Shivaji Shinde (28) and Vishal Ramkisan Shinde (30), to a secluded spot behind a secondary school wall near the Ganga Mauli Sugar Factory, around 6 km from Kaij on the Kaij-Beed Road.
Once there, the accused allegedly snatched the bag containing ₹3 lakh from Dixit. One of the assailants reportedly attacked Kakade with an iron rod, injuring him, before the group fled on a motorcycle.
However, while speeding towards Kaij, the two accused crashed into a moving car as locals attempted to stop them. Both suspects, residents of Mandwa in Kalamb tehsil of Dharashiv district, sustained injuries in the accident and were admitted to the sub-district hospital in Kaij.
During a search conducted after treatment, police recovered a sharp knife and a bundle of cable wire from their possession. Three to four accomplices managed to escape and are currently absconding.
After receiving information about the incident, Assistant Police Inspector Sandeep Manjarme, Police Sub-Inspector Umesh Nikam and other personnel rushed to the spot and recorded the victim’s statement.
Based on Kakade’s complaint, a case was registered at Kaij Police Station around 1am on Monday against the two arrested accused and several unidentified accomplices. Further investigation is underway.
