The Mumbai-Goa highway has recently been the target of the robbery. The Pen police in Raigad have arrested six people who had stolen 40 lakhs worth of plastic goods. The occupants of the truck were held hostage as they were being assaulted. The robbers drove the hostages around the highway for approximately 3 hours before they were dumped on the side of the road.
Chandrakanth Gunge was supposed to transport plastic beads to a company located in Chennai on September 14th in a 14 wheeler via the Mumbai-Goa highway. The truck was overtaken by an SUV with 9 people inside. This took place at approximately 7.30 in the evening, near Gagode Khind, Pen.
Gunge along with the two attendants was tied up by the robbers after they forced their way into the truck. The hostages were shoved into the car and were robbed of their mobile phones and wallets to stop them from contacting the authorities.
Raigad police Superintendent Anil Paraskar said, “They tied up the three and blindfolded them. The accused drove along the highway for over three hours and threw them around 15km away in Eerwadi along the Mumbai-Goa Highway.”
The empty truck was found dumped by the police of Malegaon Taluka, Nashik. The stolen goods were recovered in Nashik after 6 of the accused were caught. “We first arrested Sadanand Amritka, one of many accused,” Paraskar stated.
The five brought into custody have been identified and charged. The arrested robbers are Shahanshah Gulhasan (20), Hansraj Munneshwar (48), and Mohammed Zakir Iliyas (20) from Mumbai, Roshan Khabia (33) from Nashik, and Mohammed Javir Shaikh (28) from Uttar Pradesh. The other three accused are yet to be caught.
According to the police, the group of robbers would lease the SUV to commit the crime, they would force their way into such trucks carrying consignments, assault and tie up the hostages only to dump them and the truck later. The motive of stealing the goods would be randomly decided and they would then redistribute the entire bounty to different buyers.
The accused have been charged with sections of dacoity, kidnapping, wrongful restraint, and assault under the Indian Penal Code.
