Pune: Significant progress has been made in the case involving the abduction of a veterinarian and the subsequent robbery of valuables worth Rs27.1 lakh from his Bhekrainagar residence on August 9. The Loni Kalbhor police have arrested six individuals, including the sister-in-law of the victim’s live-in partner, in connection with the incident.
The arrests were executed on August 18 in Barshi, Solapur district, and Indapur, rural Pune. The suspects were found in possession of Rs12 lakh in cash, ornaments worth Rs2.1 lakh, two cars, and two bikes. Additionally, seven cellphones were seized, including the victim’s. A magisterial court has granted custody of the suspects until August 28 for further investigations.
According to police investigations, the veterinarian had stored Rs25 lakh in his flat, intending to pay a Rs20 lakh one-time maintenance fee by August 11 to his estranged wife, as mandated by a Pune family court’s order in an ongoing divorce case. Prior to the scheduled payment date, he was abducted by a group of men on August 9. These men forcibly confiscated his cellphone and his flat’s keys before absconding with the Rs25 lakh and Rs2.1 lakh worth of ornaments.
Senior police inspector Dattatray Chavan confirmed the authenticity of the victim’s claims, after earlier doubts arose due to the timing of his complaint. Chavan revealed, “The victim’s live-in partner was aware of the cash in the flat and shared this information with her relatives during a visit to Barshi. It was here that her sister-in-law overheard the conversation and collaborated with her lover and five others to plan the abduction and robbery. The search for the seventh suspect is ongoing.”
The 48-year-old veterinarian detailed in his complaint, filed on August 10, that he was kidnapped from Wadki and subsequently driven to various locations in a car by the abductors. After being assaulted, he was coerced into surrendering his cellphone and flat keys. The victim was eventually released at Shindawane in Uruli Kanchan. Upon returning to his residence, he discovered the theft of the cash and ornaments. The sequence of events began when he received a call at 4.45pm on August 9 from an individual seeking medical assistance for an ailing dog.
Investigations hinged on the identification of the caller’s cellphone through its IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) number. By tracking calling activity from the SIM card, the police were led to the owner, a known criminal. Subsequent questioning revealed that the cellphone had changed hands multiple times, eventually connecting to one of the suspects involved in the crime. The investigation also traced a bike’s registration number used in the abduction, leading to the identification and arrest of the rider and accomplices.
Sub-inspector Amit Gore, the case’s investigating officer, stated that the suspects, including the victim’s live-in partner’s sister-in-law, had meticulously planned and carried out the crime. The group conducted reconnaissance of the veterinarian’s housing society three days before the incident and executed the plan the following day. While the sister-in-law did not play a direct role in the crime, she was responsible for the planning.
Gore revealed that the suspects used threats and violence against the victim during the abduction, claiming that they were hired to eliminate him by his estranged wife and brother-in-law. The arrested individuals encompass a diverse group, including a food delivery worker, a criminal with a record, a fisherman, a fruit vendor, and a beggar. Following the robbery, a substantial portion of the stolen money was used for a pilgrimage to Tirupati.
