Auto driver, 3 aides held for robbing hotelier

NAVI MUMBAI: The Rabale police have arrested an auto driver, Suraj Pawar and his three accomplices, Kailas Didole , Suryabahadur Thapa and Raj Adhikari, on Friday for allegedly robbing a Ghansoli hotelier.
DCP (zone-1), Shahaji Umap, said that Pawar had hatched the plan with his three accomplices. For three consecutive days, Pawar ferried hotelier Yadav Devadia from his Ghansoli hotel to his Airoli residence after he closed the hotel at 11.30pm.
He knew that Devadia carried home the cash collected at the hotel daily.
“On October 28, Pawar was accompanied by Didole and the other two Nepali youth sat in his auto, posing as passengers. When the auto neared Euro School in Airoli, the two Nepalis attacked the hotelier with a knife and injured his neck. The duo robbed Devadia pf Rs 43,000 and his mobile and fled,” he added. Pawar and Didole pretended to not be involved in the robbery.
Umap further said that when Pawar and Didole were questioned on Friday, they initially claimed that they were scared and hence did not rescue the hotelier.
“But later Pawar revealed that he had hatched the plan. They led the cops to the two Nepali youth. We recovered Devadia’s mobile and Rs 1000 from Pawar and Rs 15,000 from the Nepali duo,” he added.
The accused have been booked under Section 394 and 34 of the IPC.