Pune: Three men were arrested within 24 hours of allegedly shooting a 50-year-old farmer and robbing him of two gold chains worth Rs11 lakh at Gawadewadi near Lonikand on Wednesday night. A Pune crime branch team arrested the trio from Indore, Madhya Pradesh.The team led by inspector Santosh Sonawane arrested the trio, members of a robbery gang, from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Identified as Avinash Tripathi (43) of Bakori in Haveli taluka, Surendra Pal (32) and Mohammed Khan (37), both from Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh.The accused had allegedly fired at the victim Santosh Gawade’s SUV when he was returning home. The bullets shattered the window of his SUV, causing injuries from the broken glass, besides bullet injuries in his jaw and face.An officer said police found a motorcycle at the spot, which helped them identify the accused within five hours. “We tracked them to Indore and took them into custody on Friday,” the officer said.He said Tripathi is the kingpin of the gang. He has 20 cases of murder, attempted murder and dacoity registered against him in different states across the country and in Nepal. Pal has 15 cases and Khan has five cases registered against them in Uttar Pradesh.“We are yet to recover the stolen gold chains and the firearm from the accused,” he said.
