Pune: Two members of a robbery gang feigned snag in motorcycle in the middle of a road and their accomplice fired at a farmer’s SUV when he slowed down before the trio snatched his two gold chains worth Rs11 lakh and fled on the two-wheeler around 9.30pm on Wednesday.The victim, Santosh Gawade (50) of Gawadewadi near Lonikand, suffered bullet injuries and was admitted to a private hospital on Raja Bahadur Mill Road. He is reported to be out of danger. His cousin, Dattatray (50), lodged a complaint with the Lonikand police later in the night.The Lonikand police said Gawade was returning home from Wadebholai, off Pune-Nagar highway, when one of the suspects fired at him. According to the police, a bullet hit Gawade’s jaw and other parts of his face. The SUV’s window shattered. The broken glass caused injuries to his head and other parts of his body.“Gawade has two injuries on his face, caused by bullets. But he claimed that only one bullet was fired. The glass has one impact mark. Considering the nature of his injuries, we suspect that two bullets were fired,” said deputy commissioner of police (crime) Hasan Gauhar.According to the police, Gawade, also involved in farm plot development, was heading home in his SUV when he saw the two men standing beside a motorcycle in the middle of the road, pretending that it had developed a snag. As Gawade slowed down, the other man approached the SUV from behind and opened fire, the police said.The trio then allegedly snatched his chains and fled the spot on their motorcycle. The police said the stretch where the robbery was committed passed through farmland and was not under CCTV surveillance.
