1 held for robbing truck driver, stealing diesel on Samruddhi

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Highway traffic police arrested one man on Saturday night for allegedly robbing a truck driver at knifepoint and stealing diesel from his vehicle on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi expressway.The incident occurred near Jalna when the truck from Rajasthan was on its way to Mumbai. Police said a gang of four men robbed the truck driver, and three of them fled the scene in a car as a patrolling team arrived. The truck driver filed a complaint reporting a loss of Rs 2,000 and 170 litres of diesel. Sub-inspector R K Nikam, of the highway traffic police, said the truck driver had halted his vehicle along the roadside due to technical issues in the gearbox. "A gang of four men approached the stationary truck in a car. They exited their car and forcefully attempted to extract the diesel from the truck. When the truck driver objected, the men brandished a knife and instructed him to remain silent. The robbers, while stealing fuel using an electric pump, also took money from the driver's pocket," he said.The police patrolling team passing by the location noticed something unusual and rushed to assist the truck driver after seeing a knife in the hands of one robber. "Three robbers immediately entered the car upon seeing the police patrol team approaching and fled the scene. One robber ran towards the open field alongside the expressway, and we apprehended him after a chase," Nikam added.Police said the arrested robber disclosed information during interrogation and provided details of his three accomplices. "Three accused are from Jalna district, while one of them is from Buldhana. An offence has been registered against all four with the Chandanzira police station of the Jalna police. Police teams have been formed to trace the three accused who fled the scene," police said. The latest robbery on Samruddhi expressway follows multiple incidents of stones being pelted at vehicles around June 15.