Pune: In a bizarre turn of events, a group of four friends who plotted a robbery to fund a lavish birthday celebration found themselves behind bars just a day after the party. The Pune Police arrested the group for robbing a construction labourer on the night of February 23.
The accused, identified as Ganesh Anna Jagdhane (29), Amol Uttam Gaikwad (32), Atul Ravindra Gaikwad (38), and Santosh Radhakishan Sarode (31), all residents of the Gultekdi area, had planned a grand celebration for Amol Gaikwad’s birthday. Lacking the necessary funds, they decided to resort to crime to finance the festivities.
According to police reports, the group used an autorickshaw to trap their victim. One of the accused, acting as the driver, picked up Satyendra Mahto (41), a labourer from Bihar, near Swargate under the pretext of dropping him at Pune Railway Station. Shortly after, the other three accomplices boarded the vehicle. Instead of heading toward the station, they diverted the rickshaw to an isolated spot.
At the secluded location, the suspects threatened to kill Mahto and forcibly extorted Rs 25,000 from him via an online transfer before releasing him. The group then used the stolen money to host a high-spirited party involving heavy alcohol consumption.
The celebration was short-lived, however, as Mahto immediately reported the incident to the Bund Garden Police Station. Investigators tracked the suspects using CCTV footage from a petrol pump where they had stopped. All four men were subsequently identified and arrested.
