Hardware trader looted of Rs 5 lakh in Paithan Gate area

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

In a bizarre incident, a trader who was returning home with a bag containing cash of Rs 5 lakh, after closing his hardware shop, was looted by a gang of three unidentified thieves riding on a motorcycle. The incident took place in Sanmitra Colony at 9 pm on Friday.

Meanwhile, in an effort to catch hold of one accused the trader fell on the ground and sustained severe head injury. He has been admitted to a hospital for treatment.

A resident of Sanmitra Colony, Nirmal Kotak, runs Bombay Hardware Shop, situated in Sillekhana Chowk. The distance between the shop and the residence is of 400-metres.

As his daily routine, Kotak closed his the shop on Friday at 9 pm and was going on foot towards his home. He was holding a bag containing Rs 5 lakh, which was the daily collection of his shop. He walked towards his home via Paithan Gate. When he reached near his house, two people came from behind and whisked away the bag containing cash. Kotak fell on the ground. The robbers after committing the crime ran away. Acting upon the information, the Kranti Chowk police along with Crime Branch officials also reached the spot.

The crime branch police inspector Sandeep Gurme said, “Three squads of Crime Branch and two squads of Kranti Chowk police station are investigating the case.”

One waiting on the vehicle

It may be noted that the robbers were keeping a watch on him. One accused was standing on a bike at a distance away from Kotak’s house. The bike was on. Meanwhile, the other two pillion riders chased Kotak and grabbed the bag, as he was about to enter his house. Kotak beat one accused and tried to grab the collar of another accused, but in this scuffle, he fell on the ground and sustained injuries.

Surprisingly, the periphery is always crowded with students in study rooms and coaching centres. These students are preparing for various competitive examinations. However, the incident took place in front of all of them. Meanwhile, the police believe that the accused would have run away in the direction of Aurangpura. Further investigation is on.