Kalyan shop owner robbed of Rs 40 lakh, ex-employee among six held, Rs 36 lakh recovered

A dealer in Kalyan was robbed of Rs 40 lakh in broad daylight on a public road, and the Kalyan Crime Branch has cracked the case. Police investigation found the robbery was not the work of an outside gang but was planned by a former employee of the same shop along with his associates, driven by anger over three months of unpaid salary.

The incident took place on September 15 on the Kalyan-Agra Road. Farooq Attar was on his way to deposit Rs 40 lakh at a Bank of Baroda branch along with an associate when four men on two motorcycles stopped them. The accused knocked the two men down, snatched the entire Rs 40 lakh and fled the scene. The daylight robbery on a busy road caused panic in the area.

After the incident, Bazarpeth police and the Kalyan Crime Branch immediately launched an investigation. Under the supervision of senior police inspector Ajit Shinde of the Kalyan Crime Branch, the team intensified the probe. Police detained an employee named Shoaib Shaikh for questioning, which yielded key information about the conspiracy behind the robbery. The investigation then led to the main accused, Sameer Shaikh, and his associates.

Police have arrested a total of six accused in the case: Sameer Shaikh, Aftab Khan, Shahnawaz Ansari, Shoaib Shaikh, Mujahid Khan and Shahid Shaikh. According to police, Rs 36 lakh of the Rs 40 lakh looted has been recovered from the accused.

According to the police investigation, main accused Sameer Shaikh used to work at a shop called Kranti Food in Ulhasnagar. He was sacked from the shop on suspicion of theft, and it is alleged that at the time he was also not paid his salary for three months. Harbouring anger over this, Sameer allegedly planned the entire robbery of the shop owner, police investigation has found.

Since Sameer had earlier worked at the same shop, he was fully aware of how the shop handled its money transactions. Police said he knew how much cash was taken out of the shop, when it was deposited in the bank and where it was carried. Using this information, he devised the entire plan with the help of his associates and carried out the robbery while the cash was being taken to the bank for deposit.

Acting swiftly after the incident, police arrested six suspects and recovered Rs 36 lakh from them. Further investigation is underway into the remaining amount and whether anyone else was involved in the crime. The Kalyan Crime Branch and Bazarpeth police are jointly continuing the probe. The charges against the accused are yet to be proved in court.