Mumbai Crime: One held for robbing businessman of Rs 35L on Western Express Highway; five at large

The spot on Western Express Highway where the incident happened. Pic courtesy/ Samiullah Khan

On Monday, the Zone XII police arrested a 34-year-old man from a six-member gang who robbed a businessman of Rs 35 lakh on motorcycles on the Western Express Highway on December 13.

According to the police, Pankaj Mishra, a resident of Delhi, was arrested from Unja in Gujarat, where he was hiding since the robbery. The police also recovered Rs 11 lakh from Mishra. They have identified all five accused involved in the case, but are still on the lookout for them. The gang is being chased by the police across India, said an official.

During the investigation, the police had suspected that the gang is from Delhi, but they moved to different parts of Gujarat after the robbery.

Explaining the modus operandi of the gang, a police official said that the gang members keep a watch on Angadia workers and follow the employees for days to learn about their routes. They also study how much amount the workers carry along with them.

Also read: Mumbai Crime: Four bikers rob businessman of Rs 35 lakh on Western Express Highway

"We had set-up four teams after registering the robbery. We scanned more than 100 CCTV cameras to find out where the motorcyclists fled and with the help of informers we traced Mishra," said DCP Somnath Gharge Zone XII.

"We have identified the other accused. They will be caught soon," he further added.

On December 13, when the complainant, Sandeep Gujjar, was on his way from Malad towards Mira Road in his Fortuner car, four men on motorcycles intercepted his vehicle. Two of them tailed his car and the remaining blocked the vehicle from front, said police. Gujjar stopped his car to find out what was the matter. When the car halted one of the motorcyclists got off his two-wheeler and held the driver's caller and asked him to get off the car. Gujjar did what was told to him. As he got off, the other motorcyclist broke the window glass of the seat next to the driver and flicked the bag containing cash.