Trio rob firm manager of Rs 3.3 lakh in daylight

PUNE: Three persons riding triple seat on a motorcycle assaulted a manager (69) of an edible oil firm with a sharp weapon and robbed his bag containing cash Rs3.3 lakh near Shivaji Maharaj statue at Market Yard around 1pm on Wednesday.
Police identified the victim as Sumantilal Ostwal, the manager of M M Nahar Edible Oil Store at Gangadham Chowk. The victim got eight stitches on his head, besides suffering injuries in hands and on shoulder.
Ostwal’s employer, Raikumar Nahar, told TOI, “Ostwal is my relative. He was going to the Pune People’s Cooperative Bank on his scooter and had kept the cash bag on the footrest of his two-wheeler. When he took a left turn from the Market Yard Chowk towards the bank, the three suspects came from the rear and intercepted his scooter.”
Nahar said, “Two of them got down and started an argument with Ostwal. They snatched his bag and started moving towards their bike. Ostwal then tried to stop them, but one of them attacked him with a sharp weapon.”
Assistant commissioner of police (Wanowrie division) Sunil Kalgutkar told TOI, “The robbery appears to be well-planned. Ostwal told us that the suspects picked up a dispute with him claiming that his scooter had grazed their bike.”