Thane Police Arrest 5 in ₹61.50 Lakh Cash Van Robbery Near Khardi, ASI Linked
Five persons have been arrested in connection with the robbery of ₹61.50 lakh from an Angadia company's cash van near Khardi village on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway, police said. Investigators have also established the alleged involvement of an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI)-rank officer from the Thane Rural Police in the crime.
The incident took place in the early hours of August 24. According to the police, the complainant, 43-year-old Govind Hargovindbhai Patel from Udhna in Surat, Gujarat, was driving a van for K.P. Angadia Company from Gwalior to the firm's Malad office in Mumbai, carrying around ₹1 crore in cash. He was accompanied by a colleague, Jigarbhai Patel.
The two stopped for dinner at Hotel Tulip in Khardi and resumed their journey towards Mumbai at around 1:15 am. Shortly after leaving the hotel, three men approached the van, knocked on the window, and allegedly identified themselves as Crime Branch personnel while ordering the driver to open the vehicle.
When Patel opened the window, the suspects snatched the vehicle's keys and forced both occupants to move to the middle seat. The suspects allegedly assaulted the two men, took control of the van, and drove it towards Nashik. Some of the suspects were reportedly wearing police uniforms.
The accused drove the van to a spot near a closed hotel on the highway, assaulted the victims again, and stole ₹61.50 lakh in cash from the vehicle before fleeing in a white-coloured car. The victims subsequently filed a complaint with the Shahapur police.
Shahapur Deputy Superintendent of Police Vishal Nagargoje stated that five accused have been arrested so far following technical leads and suspect descriptions, with some suspects tracing back to Gujarat. Nagargoje confirmed that the involvement of a police officer has been established and estimated that a total of seven to eight people were involved in the operation.
Police have kept the identities of the arrested suspects confidential to avoid alerting other members of the gang who remain absconding. As of three days after the incident, the stolen ₹61.50 lakh is yet to be recovered, and efforts to trace the remaining suspects and locate the cash are ongoing.
