Five persons allegedly sought the help of a fortune-teller for an auspicious time and carried out a dacoity of more than Rs 1 crore in Baramati in Pune district, a police official said on Monday.
The Local Crime Investigation Department of Pune Rural Police has apprehended a gang responsible for a daring robbery in Baramati that occurred in March. The police have seized cash amounting to ₹61 lakh and jewellery valued at ₹15 lakh from the arrested individuals. It has been revealed that the accused donated a portion of the stolen cash, amounting to ₹8 lakhs, to an astrologer.
Pune Superintendent of Police Ankit Goyal shared the information during a press conference on Monday, emphasizing that further investigations are underway in this matter. Police Inspector Avinash Shilimkar, Assitant Police Inspector Netaji Gandhare, and Assitant Police Inspector Rahul Gawde were also present during the briefing.
Fortune Teller Arrested
"We arrested fortune teller Ramchandra Chavan for his role in the crime. We have recovered Rs 76 lakh. Further probe is underway," he said.
The individuals arrested in connection with this case are as follows: Sachin Ashok Jagadhan (Age 30, Residence: Gunavadi, Baramati), Raiba Tanaji Chavan (Age 32, Residence: Shetphal Haveli, Indapur), Ravindra Shivaji Bhosale (Age 27, Residence: Nira Wagj, Baramati), Duryodhan alias Deepak alias Pappu Dhanaji Jadhav (Age 35, Residence: Jinti, Dist. Phaltan, Satara, Nitin Arjun More (Age 36, Residence: Dharmapuri, Dist. Malshiras), Astrologer Ramchandra Vaman Chavan (Age 43, Residence: Andrud, Dist. Phaltan).
The case stems from a robbery incident that occurred in Devkate Nagar of Baramati on April 21, during which five robbers tied up a woman's hands and feet and stole Rs 1 crore. The victim, Sagar Shivaji Gofane, had received a substantial sum from a land transaction and was away visiting Tirupati Balaji at the time of the robbery. The robbers targeted Gofane's residence, where they tied up his wife and made off with ₹95 lakhs 30 thousand in cash and 20 tolas of jewelry.
The Pune Rural Police initiated an investigation, forming dedicated teams to prioritize solving the case. Based on CCTV footage and technical analysis, the suspects were identified as labourers working in the MIDC. Five individuals were detained, and during interrogation, they confessed to their involvement in the crime.
The police have since arrested and detained the suspects, making significant progress in this case. Superintendent of Police Ankit Goyal, Additional Superintendent Anand Bhoite, and other law enforcement officials played crucial roles in this successful operation.
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