Techie, friend robbed near Chandani chowk

PUNE: Three days after robbing an MBA student and his friend near Chandani Chowk, two unidentified men struck again on early Sunday morning and robbed an IT professional and his friend of their gold ornaments and cash, all worth Rs 89,200.
The incident took place on Katraj-Dehuroad bypass near Dukkar Khind around 12.30am on Sunday, when complainant Nilesh Bhade (26) of Kothrud was returning home with his friend.
Inspector of the Warje Malwadi police station P N Solankar said police suspect the involvement of the same men who had robbed the MBA student from Bavdhan, Nisarg Patel (22), on Thursday near Chandani Chowk.
Solankar said Bhade, who works with an IT company, and his friend had come to Warje for some work on Saturday night. On early Sunday morning, the two set out on their bike to return home in Kothrud. "When they reached Dukkar Khind on Katraj-Dehuroad bypass, two men on another motorcycle dashed against Bhade's motorcycle. Bhade and his friend fell off the motorcycle," Solankar said.
Solankar said the other two men started abusing Bhade and his friend. The man who was riding the bike told Bhade he was not riding the motorcycle properly. He then took charge of Bhade's motorcycle and forced Bhade and his friend to sit behind him and told his accomplice to follow them. "They rode the motorcycle to a secluded place on a hillock behind a building on the bypass. They thrashed Bhade and his friend and took away their gold chain and cash and fled," Solankar said.
Solankar said Patel and his friend were robbed of gold chains, cash and a scooter in similar fashion. "The description of the suspects given by Patel and Bhade also matches.
Solankar said police have launched a search operation to trace the suspects. "We have intensified patrolling, especially along that particular stretch of the bypass," Solankar said.
eom/mt