Highway heist near Belagavi: Mumbai man looted of Rs 2 lakh gold chain

Belagavi: In a daring late-night highway robbery, a gang of eight men allegedly blocked a car near Kulavalli Cross on the Puna-Bengaluru National Highway-48, close to Kittur, and robbed a Mumbai-based engineer of a gold chain worth Rs 2 lakh.The victim, Vaibhav Mohan Vyavahare, 30, a resident of Mumbai, was travelling with his colleague, Devendra Vitthoba Kadam, when the incident occurred. According to the complaint, the duo refuelled at a petrol pump near Kittur and drove a short distance past Kulavalli Cross when two men on a two-wheeler intercepted their car.One of the assailants allegedly hurled a large stone at the vehicle, forcing it to stop. The remaining members of the gang then surrounded the car, threatened the occupants, and snatched a 15-gram gold chain from Vyavahare. The accused also searched the vehicle, including the trunk, before fleeing the spot. Though they checked Kadam, nothing was taken from him.On Feb 20, Vaibhav and Kadam were travelling by car from Mumbai to a college in Suratkal, Mangaluru, when they were targeted. Following the incident, the victims drove to Alnavar and alerted the police. Personnel from Kittur police station later inspected the scene and registered a case of robbery. The superintendent of police and other senior officers also visited the spot.The robbery on a busy national highway has triggered concern among motorists.