Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Police continue to investigate the audacious robbery at entrepreneur Santosh Ladda’s residence in Bajajnagar, but have yet to find concrete evidence. Senior officials say the probe now hinges on technical analysis, following a suspected tip-off from an insider.
In the early hours of Thursday, six armed robbers tied up the sleeping driver, Sanjay Jhalke, restraining him with a pistol pressed to his chest. They looted 5.5 kg of gold jewellry, gold biscuits, 32 kg of silver jewelry, and Rs 70,000 in cash. The nearly two-hour robbery unfolded less than a kilometer from the MIDC Waluj police station, after Ladda and his family had left for his son’s graduation ceremony in the U.S. on May 7.
Focus on technical investigation
Initially handled by MIDC Waluj polie inspector Rameshwar Gade, the case was transferred on Friday to Crime Branch Inspector Sandeep Gurme, with support from MIDC Waluj Police and the Cyber Cell. Nine teams are reviewing over 170 CCTV camera footages along the robbers’ ingress and egress routes. Three teams analyze Call Detail Records and dump data, while two others interrogate suspects. Police are also collecting intelligence on gangs known for such crimes.
Over 20 Workers Questioned
More than twenty employees from Ladda’s company have been questioned. Sanjay Jhalke faced day-long interrogation. Technical analysis traced a discarded mobile phone near workers’ quarters. The robbers were tracked to a roadside eatery in Ludhiana; their subsequent movements remain unknown. CCTV footage from an 8-kilometer radius including Bajajnagar, Patoda, and Valadgaon is under review. The meticulous planning and evident familiarity with the premises indicate insider involvement, now the primary focus of ongoing investigations.