Gang behind cellphones, vehicle robberies busted in Pune

PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch recovered 23 cellphones, 20 grams of gold ornaments and a motorcycle from a gang of three men who targeted industrial workers and robbed their cellphones and vehicles.
Senior crime branch inspector Dnyaneshwar Katkar and his team arrested the gang from the Bhosari MIDC area. Katkar said that police constables Farukh Mulla and Vishal Bhoir received a tip-off that some men were trying to sell stolen mobile handsets at throwaway prices to pedestrians. "We recovered 23 mobile handsets and gold ornaments from them," Katkar said.
During questioning, the trio admitted to robbing workers in Bhosari MIDC, Sangvi, Wakad and Hinjewadi areas early in the morning. "They used to threaten workers with sharp weapons and rob them of their cellphones and other valuables," Katkar said.
He said that the police have detected nine cases of robberies, including seven registered with the Bhosari MIDC area and two registered with the Sangvi police. "We are questioning them to check whether they were involved in more robberies," Katkar said.
An officer from the crime branch said that the gang was aware of the fact that workers in the industrial areas received their salaries in the first week of every month. "They used to target workers during that period as most workers got their salaries in cash," the officer said.