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Potholes come to the rescue of Mumbai man who got robbed at knifepoint

Updated on: 13 August,2014 06:38 AM IST  | 
Shirish Vaktania | mailbag@mid-day.com

After looting factory worker in Kandivli, gang tried speeding away in car; pockmarked road slowed them down, and locals soon caught up with them and nabbed two of the fleeing robbers

Potholes come to the rescue of Mumbai man who got robbed at knifepoint

He is probably the only person in Mumbai who is thankful for the huge potholes on roads, but Pappu Vishwakarma doesn’t mind. The craters prevented robbers who had looted his mobile phone and thousands of rupees in cash from escaping. Two of the robbers were even nabbed and handed over to the Charkop police on the spot.


The gang couldn’t speed away in their car after robbing the worker because of this pothole-ridden lane at Charkop
The gang couldn’t speed away in their car after robbing the worker because of this pothole-ridden lane at Charkop


The incident occurred on Saturday at the Government Industrial Estate near Plot number 33, Charkop, in Kandivli. Vishwakarma, a factory worker with Techno Vision Pvt Ltd, was returning home at around 10.30 pm. A gang of four accosted him and at knifepoint, robbed him of his smartphone and cash. The four, thinking they had had a good haul, tried speeding away in their Toyota Innova.


Cops have recovered the mobile phone and Rs 8,000 in cash
Cops have recovered the mobile phone and Rs 8,000 in cash

However, they had underestimated their biggest foe huge potholes on the road. The undulations were too big an enemy to defeat, and try as they might, the car couldn’t speed away from the scene. Soon, locals caught up with them and nabbed two of the robbers and handed them over to the Charkop police. The other two, who did manage to flee, were arrested on Monday.

The accused have been identified as Khumar Pal (20), Raj Pandey (20), Rehman Sheikh (19) and Mofid Sheikh (22). Police said the lane is known for its craters and that it is near impossible to drive a car there leave alone a getaway car a prospect the robbers hadn’t thought of, despite the fact that all four of them work as drivers in the same industrial area.

Assistant Police Inspector Pradeep Roarane said, “The incident occurred on Saturday night at 10.30 pm, when this gang of four robbed the victim at knifepoint. They took his mobile phone and Rs 10,200 in cash and tried fleeing the spot. But, they couldn’t do so due to potholes. Pal and Pandey were nabbed by locals on the spot, while we arrested both the Sheikhs after learning of their location during interrogation.”

Raorane added that cops had also recovered Rs 8,000 in cash and the mobile phone. The gang was produced in court yesterday and remanded to police custody.

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