Hingoli: Inter-district gang held for highway jewellery heist; Rs 30 lakh booty recovered in 48 hours

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Police have busted an inter-district gang involved in a daring highway robbery in which a goldsmith was robbed at knifepoint of jewellery worth around ₹30 lakh. The local crime branch (LCB) recovered the entire stolen property within 48 hours and arrested six accused, some of whom also confessed to an earlier bank burglary at Kapadsingi.The robbery occurred on Jan 30, 2026, within the limits of Sengaon police station. Police said the complainant, Suresh Sambhaji Khandarkar (37), a goldsmith from Lonar in Buldhana district, was returning on his motorcycle from Kapadsingi when three men on a motorcycle chased him on the Kapadsingi–Lonar stretch of the Sonar highway at Dhanora shivar, knocked him down, threatened him with a knife, and robbed him of 114 grams of gold ornaments, 3.6 kg of silver ornaments, his mobile phone, and cash, collectively valued at around ₹30 lakh.Parallel investigations by the LCB and Sengaon police, using technical analysis, CCTV footage, and confidential inputs, led to the identification of an inter-district gang.The arrested accused are Parmeshwar alias Sagar Sahebrao Padolkar (29), Rahul Mohan Pawar (29), Shoaib Hamid Pathan (24), and Abhishek Pralhad Dhanwade (22) from Jalna and Parbhani districts, along with local accomplices Bhagwan Vinayak Haral (28) and Tukaram Punjaram Haral (30) from Kapadsingi. The entire stolen property was recovered."This case was a priority as it involved a targeted attack on a goldsmith on a public highway. Coordinated efforts ensured recovery within 48 hours," SP Dr Nilabh Rohan said. Additional SP Kamlesh Mina said, "Technical evidence and local intelligence helped crack the inter-district network and prevent further such crimes."