Gambler plotted theft with friends to pay off debts

NAGPUR: A tea stall owner at Itwari plotted a theft to get rid of his mounting gambling debts. The accused, Amit Paunikar, also managed to execute the theft but his luck ran out and he was nabbed by the cops.
Lakadganj police have arrested Paunikar and three others for stealing cans of edible oil. Paunikar had roped in Raju Binekar, Vicky Sonkusre and Sagar Barapatre to execute his plan.
More than 151 cans worth Rs 1.58 lakh were stolen from the godown of Binekar's former employer at Itwari in April.The gang had disposed off several drums. Paunikar kept most of the money and paid off a lot of his debt.
Police said that Paunikar had even duped his accomplices and did not pay them. "Binekar belonged to a poor family and was brainwashed into stealing. Now, Binekar is behind bars but has got almost nothing from the booty," said a source from Lakadganj police station. He added, "We had picked up Binekar first since his former employers had expressed suspicion about him being involved in the theft. He spilled the beans during interrogation. The other accomplices too were unhappy with Paunikar and so they confessed."
This was the first crime for Paunikar and Binekar, said police. Sonkusre had been implicated in a murder case earlier while Barapatre had a theft case registered against him.
The four met at Paunikar's tea stall and decided to steal oil cans from the godown of Binekar's former employer. Police said Binekar was responsible for managing the stock at the godown before he left the job a couple of months back. He had already prepared a duplicate key to the godown. Presently, Binekar was working at a grocer's shop as a help.
"They chose a Sunday to sneak into the godown since the market would be empty on a holiday. The cans were loaded on a light carrier vehicle and taken to Kalamna, where they were stocked. One of the traders in Itwari too walked into their trap and agreed to purchase some of the stolen stock. He realized his mistake later. So some of the drums remained unsold," said the police.
Binekar's former employers had expressed their doubts to the police. Lakadganj police team comprising head constable Tara Singh, constables Vijay Khangar and Raj Kumar Kodape rounded up the suspects. They led police to the place where the stolen cans were kept. Police have recovered 140 drums worth Rs 1.44 lakh.