Strangers offer lift, rob & dump two near Bavdhan

PUNE: The Pune police's appeal asking people not to take lift from strangers on the Katraj-Dehu Road bypass seem to have gone unheard as two more unsuspecting passengers were robbed on the busy highway on Wednesday evening.
Sharfuddin Nijam Sayyad, a three-wheeler tempo driver, who hopped into a car at Wakad to go to Satara, was beaten and robbed of Rs 45,000 by three men seated inside.The suspects dumped him at Bavdhan and fled towards Wakad. Another passenger, who got into the car with him, was also beaten, robbed of Rs 200 and left on the road a little before.
A T Kadam, sub-inspector of Hinjewadi police station, told TOI that 34-year-old Sayyad, who lives in Sidhnath Housing society in Nigdi, was carrying the cash to buy a two-wheeler in Satara. He reached Bhumkar chowk in Wakad around 4 pm. Sayyed thought of hitching a ride instead of taking a bus to save on travelling cost. Soon a car approached Sayyad and offered to take him along. There were three men inside including the driver. They picked up one more passenger and started in the direction of Katraj. Minutes later, two of the three men started beating Sayyad and his co-passenger with a belt. They snatched Rs 45,000 from him and Rs 200 from the other man. The two were dumped near Bavdhan around 4.40 pm.
Kadam said that after dropping the two on the way, the car returned towards Wakad. Sayyad approached the nearest police station and lodged a complaint.
Earlier on July 11, Ashish Sarode (34), a software engineer, who took lift in a car at Wakad to go to Thane, was driven around for nearly five hours before being robbed of valuables worth Rs 67,000 and dumped at Paud.
The Hinjewadi police said that despite repeated requests to people not to get into cars driven by strangers, people hitch a ride, mostly to save some time and money.