Kolhapur : In an audacious heist on the busy Pune-Bengaluru National Highway, seven robbers on three motorcycles allegedly looted gold and silver jewellery worth over Rs 1 crore from a courier pickup truck near Kavathe village in Satara’s Wai taluka on Friday evening.
Vijay Pawar (36), a resident of Rajarampuri in Kolhapur, was driving a courier pickup truck from Pune to Kolhapur, according to police. Police have estimated the total loss at about Rs 1.1 crore. Deputy superintendent of police Vipul Sawant said, “We have launched an investigation and dispatched teams to trace the suspects.
Police said as the truck approached Kavathe, the robbers allegedly arrived on three motorcycles and forced it to stop. The vehicle was carrying a jewellery consignment belonging to a Satara-based jeweller. One of them pressed a sickle against Pawar’s neck and threatened to kill him. The gang then snatched a sack containing the valuables and sped away before anyone could react. The stolen consignment comprised around 800g of gold along with silver ornaments. The audacious robbery on a major national highway triggered a massive police response. Satara superintendent of police Nikhil Pingale, additional SP Vaishali Kadukar-Patil and senior officers rushed to the spot and reviewed the investigation. Police suspect the crime was pre-planned and that the courier vehicle may have been tracked before being intercepted. Investigation is ongoing through available information and CCTV footage to identify the robbers and establish their movements. In past, there have been many incidents of robbing vehicles and stealing jewellery in Bhuinj area. We will soon nab the robbers. A case has been registered at the Bhuinj police station. Police teams are scanning CCTV footage from the highway and nearby areas while probing whether more people were involved in the operation.