PUNE: The crime branch of the Pune police has busted a six-member gang for robbing people, primarily couples, of their valuables by threatening or attacking them with sickles at isolated places in various parts of the city.“Following the interrogation of the gang members, we have managed to solve 38 robbery and decoity cases, which happened in 2018-19. We have also recovered stolen booty worth over Rs 17 lakh from them,” deputy commissioner of police (crime) Jyoti Priya Singh said on Monday.The police identified the gang members as Hrishikesh alias Hukya Shrikant Gade (22), Gaurav Phadnis (27), Chand Shaikh (20), Ganesh Kamble (21), Suryakant Koli (23) and Tohit Kazi (28).Singh said the police were on the lookout for Gade, a resident of Upper Indiranagar , for his alleged involvement in robbery cases. “During the manhunt to trace and nab Gade, inspector Datta Chavan received a tip-off that Gade with his five accomplices were preparing to rob a fuel station near Khadi Machine Chowk in Kondhwa on the night of January 31,” she said.Acting on the information, the police laid a trap and took Gade and his accomplices into custody. “They had arrived at the fuel station riding three motorbikes,” Singh said.When contacted, inspector Chavan told TOI that the gang members have admitted of committing 38 offences in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and the rural areas. “We have recovered gold and silver ornaments, 11 vehicles, two sickles, a brass knuckle, a rope and chilli powder from them. We hope to detect few more cases during the course of the investigation,” he addedChavan said, “Gade is a criminal on police records. His interrogation has also helped us in solving a dacoity case, in which Gade and others had looted Rs 47 lakh from a bank in Jejuri in 2016. He was earlier arrested in two murder cases registered with the Kondhwa and Paud police stations. After he was released on bail, he formed a gang with his childhood friends and started committing robberies for making quick bucks. Gade is also associated with two more gangs.”The other members of the gang also have cases registered against them with different police stations. “They used to ride motorbikes and target people, primarily couples, at isolated places in the city. Upon intercepting their victims, the pillion rider used to threaten or attack them with a sickle before robbing them of their valuables,” Chavan added.The police team responsible for the arrests include Rajendra Bhorde, Santosh Mohite, Amjad Pathan, Samir Shaikh, among others.

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