Pune: Two unidentified men hurled chilli powder into the eyes of a liquor shop manager and fled with his bag containing Rs5.68 lakh in cash on Monday afternoon. The incident took place in front of Tathawade garden, in Karvenagar.
Rakesh Pardeshi, the 36-year-old manager, was on his way to deposit the cash in a private bank near Sangam press in Kothrud when he was attacked and robbed. Alankar police suspect the involvement of an insider — or a former employee — who knew when the cash from the shop is sent to the bank. They have formed three teams to track down the suspects.
The money was from a liquor shop on Sinhagad Road that is run by Rakesh's cousin Dheeraj Pardeshi. "On Monday, Rakesh was asked to deposit Rs5.68 lakh in the bank. This money had been collected since Friday," said S G Chavan, the assistant inspector of Alankar police.
Rakesh put the cash in a bag and left for the bank. At 3.30pm, when he reached Tathawade garden, an unidentified biker told him that his rear tyre had a flat. "Rakesh stopped and tried to check the air pressure," Chavan said. "He suddenly was blinded by severe pain in his eyes and also felt that someone had snatched his bag," Chavan added.
When Rakesh realised that someone had thrown chilli powder in his eyes and stolen his bag, he called his cousin. "His cousin told Rakesh to contact the police, while his brother asked him to go to a doctor," Chavan said. "After seeing the doctor, Rakesh contacted the police at 7 pm," Chavan said. Police have registered the offence under Section 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the IPC.
Police think the robbery could have been an inside job, or by a former employee. Cops believe the robbers knew that on Monday, someone from the shop will be going to the bank, to deposit all the cash. A police officer said two employees of the shop are supposed to deposit the cash in the bank. "Usually, the employees take four-wheeler. However, on Monday, as the car was unavailable, Rakesh decided to go to the bank on his bike," the officer said.
Rakesh Pardeshi, the 36-year-old manager, was on his way to deposit the cash in a private bank near Sangam press in Kothrud when he was attacked and robbed. Alankar police suspect the involvement of an insider — or a former employee — who knew when the cash from the shop is sent to the bank. They have formed three teams to track down the suspects.
The money was from a liquor shop on Sinhagad Road that is run by Rakesh's cousin Dheeraj Pardeshi. "On Monday, Rakesh was asked to deposit Rs5.68 lakh in the bank. This money had been collected since Friday," said S G Chavan, the assistant inspector of Alankar police.
Rakesh put the cash in a bag and left for the bank. At 3.30pm, when he reached Tathawade garden, an unidentified biker told him that his rear tyre had a flat. "Rakesh stopped and tried to check the air pressure," Chavan said. "He suddenly was blinded by severe pain in his eyes and also felt that someone had snatched his bag," Chavan added.
When Rakesh realised that someone had thrown chilli powder in his eyes and stolen his bag, he called his cousin. "His cousin told Rakesh to contact the police, while his brother asked him to go to a doctor," Chavan said. "After seeing the doctor, Rakesh contacted the police at 7 pm," Chavan said. Police have registered the offence under Section 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the IPC.
Police think the robbery could have been an inside job, or by a former employee. Cops believe the robbers knew that on Monday, someone from the shop will be going to the bank, to deposit all the cash. A police officer said two employees of the shop are supposed to deposit the cash in the bank. "Usually, the employees take four-wheeler. However, on Monday, as the car was unavailable, Rakesh decided to go to the bank on his bike," the officer said.
Get latest news & live updates on the go on your pc with News App. Download The Times of India news app for your device.
