Pune: The Pimpri-Chinchwad crime branch arrested six men in connection with the kidnapping and robbery of a food delivery person at Gahunje on Aug 21. The suspects allegedly kidnapped the worker and robbed him of Rs90,000.The police recovered an autorickshaw and mobile phones, with a collective value of Rs1.80 lakh, from the arrested individuals. The operation was carried out by a crime branch team led by senior police inspector Arjun Ghode-Patil.The victim lodged a complaint with the Talegaon Dabhade police on night of Aug 21. He stated that while he was returning from a delivery, four men in an autorickshaw blocked his path at Gahunje. The assailants forced him into the vehicle and drove him to a secluded spot in Mamurdi, where they allegedly assaulted him and robbed him of Rs90,000 in cash.Ghode-Patil said the police initially had no leads regarding the identity of the suspects. However, after reviewing CCTV footage from the area, the team successfully identified the autorickshaw used in the crime.The arrested suspects have been identified as Suraj Chalwadi (24), Sunny Hirave (19), and Isaq Kajapuram (28), all residents of Mamurdi; Dipak Bhandage (24) and Avinash Wankhede (24), both from Narhe; and Prathamesh Kank (27) of Dehu Road.“One of the accused lives in the complainant’s locality and was aware that the victim habitually carried his savings with him. He then hatched a plot with the other suspects to rob him,” Ghode-Patil said.The officer further revealed that an accomplice from Mumbai had arranged for two additional men to help execute the robbery. “We have recovered the autorickshaw and the mobile phones used by the accused. The suspects have prior criminal records, including cases of robbery and dacoity,” he added.
