Pune: Three Arrested for Abduction and Armed Robbery of Scrap Dealer, Police Seize Weapons
Pune:
In a major breakthrough, police arrested three individuals who abducted and robbed a scrap dealer at gunpoint after he refused to purchase a car without a number plate. During the action, authorities seized two country-made pistols and eight live cartridges from the culprits.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Santosh Laxman Bhandalkar (age 42, a resident of Pandare, Taluka Baramati), Suresh Ashok Rakhpasre (age 33, a resident of Kunjirwasti, Manjri, Taluka Haveli), and Shekhar Subhash Shinde (age 32, a resident of Sangvi, Taluka Baramati). Additionally, police are on the lookout for three more individuals: Suraj Shankar Madane (a resident of Malegaon, Taluka Baramati), Haribhau Baban Khude, and Ashok Ganpat Bansode (both residents of Kunjirwasti, Manjri, Taluka Haveli).
According to the report, the victim, Qutubuddin Subhedar Shah (age 40, a resident of Tandulwadi, Baramati), operates a scrap business in Lokhande Vasti, Vanjarwadi. On September 23, while at his shop, four men approached him, offering to sell a white i20 car. Shah declined the deal as the car lacked a number plate. Following this, the assailants, pretending to be police officers, forced Shah into their vehicle, seizing his mobile phone and Rs 8,000 in cash. They accused him of purchasing stolen goods and demanded a sum of Rs 15 lakh, threatening to take him to Bhigwan police station if he didn’t comply.
When Shah shouted for help, one of the attackers brandished a pistol, warning him to stay silent. The group drove along the Daund-Nagar highway before abandoning Shah near a petrol pump in Chikhli village. Upon learning of the incident, police formed three investigation teams. CCTV footage from the road revealed a white i20 vehicle, which was traced to Santosh Bhandalkar.
Police later received information that Bhandalkar and his accomplices were heading towards Solapur. A trap was set in the Hingangaon area near the Solapur highway, leading to the arrest of Bhandalkar. During his interrogation, he revealed the identities of his associates and confessed to planning another robbery, targeting a goldsmith on the Sangola-Jat route.
Further investigation uncovered that Suraj Madane, one of the wanted suspects, had a history of tractor theft, with a stolen tractor found in front of his residence. Madane is a notorious criminal with 15 cases registered against him in various locations including Lonand, Vathar, Bhuinj, Phaltan, Satara City, and Pune district’s Yawat, Baramati taluka, and Baramati City police stations. He is known as a serial tractor thief. The other arrested individuals also have two to three criminal cases each and are considered habitual offenders.
This action was taken by the team of Police Inspector of Local Crime Branch Avinash Shilimkar, Police Inspector of Baramati Taluka Police Station Vaishali Patil, Assistant Police Inspector of Local Crime Branch Kuldeep Sankapah, Dattaji Mohite, Rahul Gawde, Police Ammaldar Balasaheb Karande, Abhijit Ekshinge, Swapnil Ahiwale, Vinod Pawar, Ajay Ghule, Raju Momin, Atul Dere, Nilesh Shinde, Sachin Ghadge, Ajit Bhujbal, Vijay Kanchan, Dheeraj Jadhav, Tushar Bhoite, Sagar Namdas, Sub-Inspector of Police of Baramati Police Station Yuvraj Patil, and Police Ammaldar Ram Kangude under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh, Additional Superintendent of Police Ganesh Biradar, and Sub Divisional Officer Sudarshan Rathod.
