In a swift police action, the Pimpri Chinchwad crime branch has cracked a violent robbery case, arresting three young men and detaining a minor accomplice for assaulting a cashier and stealing Rs 3.80 lakh from a ceramic showroom in Chinchwad. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday night, was allegedly masterminded by an employee of the same showroom.
Violent Attack Outside Showroom
The robbery took place late on Tuesday night when the 34-year-old cashier was standing outside the showroom with a bag containing the day's collection. As per his routine, he would take the cash home for safekeeping and return it to the owner the next morning. Just as he was about to start his scooter, three individuals approached him.
One of the assailants began attacking the victim with a billhook (a sharp weapon). During the assault, the attacker snatched the bag containing Rs 3.80 lakh and threw it to an accomplice. Despite losing the bag, the attacker continued to assault the cashier, who sustained injuries in the attack. The trio then fled the scene on a two-wheeler, threatening locals with the weapon as they escaped.
Swift Police Action and Arrests
Acting on the complaint and leveraging crucial CCTV footage along with a specific tip-off, a crime branch team led by Assistant Police Inspector Harish Mane moved quickly. The team managed to apprehend one of the accused on Wednesday, whose interrogation led to the others.
"We have arrested three of them and detained their minor accomplice," stated API Mane. He revealed a shocking detail: one of the three arrested youths had been working at the targeted ceramic showroom for the past three years. This employee is alleged to have plotted the entire robbery with his accomplices, providing insider knowledge of the cash movement routine.
Insider Plot and Criminal History Uncovered
Further investigation by the police uncovered that two of the arrested accused already have a criminal record. Cases of body offences and thefts are registered against them with the Pimpri Chinchwad police. The police have charged all the accused under serious sections of the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 309 (robbery) and Section 311 (robbery committed with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt). Relevant sections of the Indian Arms Act have also been invoked.
The arrested individuals hail from the Thergaon and Pimpri areas. The police action highlights the effectiveness of combining technological evidence like CCTV with human intelligence to solve crimes rapidly. The case serves as a stern warning against such violent street crimes in the Pune metropolitan region.
