Panvel Cops Pose as Villagers to Bust Gang Behind Mumbai-Pune Expressway Heists; 5 held

Panvel police started an undercover operation on Saturday, September 14, to arrest a gang of robbers that targeted the travellers on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. It led to the arrest of five suspects on the second day of the operation.

This came to light after a tempo driver from Madhya Pradesh was robbed by eight people on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on September 9.

The robbery took place at night when the driver stopped his vehicle to relieve himself. The gang attacked him and stole INR 23,000 in cash and two mobile phones, each worth INR 5,000. The Panvel Taluka police reported that this robbery was not the first case. In recent months, seven similar incidents had happened on the same stretch of the motorway. 

However, the investigation faced challenges as there were no witnesses or CCTV footage. Later, police used the victim's description of the attackers to gather information. They learnt from informants that one of the suspects, named Rohidas Pawar, 23, lived in Khalapur village.

To catch the robbers, police disguised themselves as locals to blend in. They wore traditional clothes, walked barefoot, and kept an eye on the suspects. They observed the gang meeting at night to plan their robberies.

On the second day of the operation, an undercover officer approached Pawar, pretending to be drunk. During the conversation, the officer asked for the suspect's phone number. When the number matched their records, Pawar was arrested. Following his arrest, four other gang members were captured in Nimbodewadi village. 

The arrested suspects include Atesh Waghmare, 26, Manish Waghmare, 35, Rohidas Pawar, 24, and Shankar Waghmare, 18. According to police, the gang members work as labourers and carpenters during the day and carry out robberies at night.

Police also tracked the location suspects' mobile phones, which confirmed their involvement in the robbery of the tempo driver. The search for the remaining three suspects is ongoing. Further investigation revealed that one of the suspects, Guddu Naik, had a criminal history, with three dacoity cases linked to him.

Initially, the case was filed under robbery charges. After the investigation, the case was updated to dacoity charges. If convicted, the suspects face up to 10 years in prison. The suspects will remain in police custody until September 20.