An eight-member gang of highway robbers on Wednesday midnight waylaid a car at Kolamasinapalle village in Palamaner mandal on the Bengaluru national highway and attacked a country physician and his friend, before decamping with Rs. 70,000 and gold ornaments from them.
Palamaner Police said that Romoji Rao, a physician of country medicine from Virupakshapuram in Baireddipalle mandal, was returning home along with his friend Somasekhar Reddy, a pharmacist from Hyderabad, after attending a marriage function when the attack took place. The gang threw chilli powder into their eyes.
After beating the duo, the gang diverted the car towards the Moghili ghat, 30 km away from Chittoor. They took the duo to a forest location, and demanded Rs. 3 crore from the duo. Around 4 am (Thursday), on hearing siren of police patrolling vehicle on the national highway, the gang escaped after robbing the duo of cash and gold.
The victims, who received injuries in the assault, reached Bangarupalem police station, but were sent to the Palamaner station. The police registered a case and rushed the victims to a hospital. The duo told the police that while some members of the gang kidnapped them, another batch followed them in another car.
The police suspect that the attack could to be the handiwork of a professional gang of highway robbers from Karnataka.
