more-in The Kurar police claimed to have prevented a robbery at a petrol pump in Malad with the arrest of three history-sheeters earlier this week. The police said the accused have several cases registered against them in Navi Mumbai and Gujarat. They are looking for four more members of the gang. According to police officials, Malad-based businessman Devendra Jalan registered a robbery complaint with the Kurar police on May 6. He said he was on his way home by autorickshaw when the vehicle was intercepted by motorcycle-borne men on Western Express Highway around 5.25 p.m. The men allegedly picked a fight with the autorickshaw driver and assaulted Mr. Jalan, after which they fled with his leather bag containing ?15 lakh. “While working on the case, we received a tip-off that some men believed to have been behind the crime would be trying to rob a petrol pump on Arunkumar Vaidya Road in Malad on May 13. Acting on the information, we laid a trap and picked up three suspects, while four others managed to flee,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone XII) Vinaykumar Rathod said. The trio, Pratik Panvekar (20), Vikas Ghumane (24) and Vishal Tanvani (25), were searched and found to be in possession of a countrymade gun with one live round, two choppers, an eight-inch sword, red chilli powder and a 15-foot nylon rope, officers said. “Investigations established their involvement in the robbery on May 6, and we have recovered the ?15 lakh that they stole from Mr. Jalan. We have also found out that the accused have cases registered against them in 11 police stations in Ahmedabad. They would identify targets by keeping a watch on commercial areas, and then rob them,” Mr. Rathod said. Further inquiries allegedly revealed that the accused had committed similar crimes in the jurisdiction of the Vashi police. They were handed over to the Vashi police for further inquiries, the police said.

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