Pune: Close shave for constable after flat break-in

PUNE: High drama, akin to a Bollywood movie plot, prevailed in Karvenagar after two armed burglars broke into a flat in the early hours of Wednesday, resulting in an almost deadly scuffle between them and the police and the recovery of valuables worth Rs 1.2 lakh.
The incident, which occurred at Sairam Villa society, came to light around 2.45am after a resident, Shrikant Kamble, heard some unusual sounds from his neighbour Abasaheb Nalawade’s flat. Since Nalawade had gone to his native village and there was nobody in the flat, he became curious and peeped out from the keyhole of his apartment.
“I saw a masked man in the passage and immediately called up my friend Rahul Pawar, who alerted the Warje Malwadi police,” Kamble said.
Soon after receiving the alert, constable Saddam Shaikh with marshals Firoz Shaikh and Balasaheb Bahirat reached the spot. “There was complete darkness in the passages,” the constable said, adding when the two marshals started climbing the stairs, one of the suspects attacked them with a sharp weapon. However, they dodged the weapon. As soon as the constable reached the flat, the other burglar ran towards the balcony to flee the spot.
He, however, caught the burglar, after which he turned around and stabbed him with a sharp weapon. “Thankfully, I had kept my wallet under my shirt. It sustained the blow and I escaped unharmed,” he said.
By now, senior inspector senior inspector Machhindra Pandit too had reached the spot. “We have recovered stolen valuables worth Rs 1.2 lakh from the suspects, Sagarsingh Junni (27) of Hadapsar and Jalsingh Junni (35) of Shivajinagar,” Pandit said.
He said the suspects have been booked under Section 307 (murder) and other sections of the IPC.