The Navi Mumbai police have arrested five people including two sub inspectors and a constable with the Mumbai Police for allegedly kidnapping and robbing a Karnataka-based businessman of Rs 1 crore in cash earlier this month.
According to the police, the crime took place when the victim, Mohammed Salim Kaziya, 58, was on his way to Karnataka from Mumbai on December 19 after collecting a payment of Rs 1 crore from a Mahim-based business associate.
Kaziya took a private bus from Chembur. At the Vashi toll naka, three men stopped and boarded the bus, made Kaziya get off, forced him into a Scorpio and took him Kaziya to Uran, where they made him give up his bag of cash at gunpoint and abandoned him. Kaziya then approached the Vashi police and a complaint was registered.
“While working on the case, we received some tip-offs about the involvement of some people and picked them up. Their questioning led us to PSIs Pankaj Khairnar, 32, Nileshkumar Sandanshiv, 28, and Police Constable Janardan Raje, 47, with the Trombay police in Mumbai. Further investigation revealed the involvement of two more accused identified as Balraj Swami (40) and Laxman Swami (41), and they were arrested as well,” said an officer with the Navi Mumbai police.
They added that two men close to Kaziya informed Balraj that the former was coming to Mumbai to collect a large payment. They passed on this information to Raje, who, in turn, told Khairnar and Sandanshiv, after which a plan was hatched.
The police have recovered Rs 48 lakh from the arrested accused and are now looking for the two men who tipped off Balraj about Kaziya’s movements.
