Highway dacoity foiled; seven arrested

With the arrest of seven dacoits including five hailing from Gujarat, the Thane Police today claimed to have foiled a major highway dacoity on the Mumbai-Nashik route.
Sr PI Ravindra Doiphode in-charge crime branch, Thane said that a team of police officials after receiving a tip-off, kept vigil at the Vakharigaon Toll Naka on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway and nabbed the armed dacoits last evening and foiled their plan.
The police team seized firearms, pistols, knives, choppers, hammer, nylon rope, adhesive tape, and bats from their possession, he said.
According to the information received by the cops, the armed gang was planning to loot a jeweller Laddu Seth from Mumbai travelling on that route after attacking his car.

The arrested dacoits were identified as Zahir Khan Abbas Khan Belim, 26 (Patan, Gujarat); Maruf Miya Gulabmiya Shaikh, 37 (Mehsana, Gujarat); Ratansingh Baccharji Waghela, 26, Vasai, Iqbal Nazir Khan Pathan, 43, (Patan); Jitendra Pandurang Patil, 34, Ambernath; Digvijay Govindsingh Rana, 25 (Patan), and Naresh Amrutlal Nai, 29 (Banaskantha) Gujarat.
They have been charged under sections 399, 402 of the IPC and also 3, 25 and 4, 27 of the Arms Act, the police officer said.