Travel on the famed Mumbai-Pune expressway either late or night or early at morning with due diligence and care or else you might just find yourselves at the receiving end of a band of "highway robbers" who have taken to looting motorists who make a pit stop for refreshments in their bid to make a fast buck..........
In an incident that is sure to make many a night time traveller on the above mentioned expressway change his already charted out plans as well as send more than a shiver or two down the spines of the rest, a family of three hailing from Pune's Kharadi area had the most horrific and traumatic experience of their lives while on their way from Mumbai to Pune at around 2 am or so in the wee hours of Monday morning.........
Highway robbers who have taken to the highway with a vengeance of late; dragged the mother and daughter out of the car in which they were safely and securely (????) stationed and proceeded to mercilessly beat them with iron rods and lathis before making good their escape from the spot with all the family's valuables in tow........
All this happened in a matter of mere minutes while the husband as well as driver of the car had stopped the car in the vicinity of a bustling petrol pump and made his way to the other side of the highway in order to fetch bottles of water and cups of coffee for his better half and daughter.........
Amit Mali, 41, his better half Resha Mali, 34, and daughter Vedika Mali, 12, were poorer to the tune of Rupees 1.25 lakh (in various foreign currencies) as well as jewellery, watches, mobile phones and other valuables thanks to a a marauding band of robbers who inflicted bleeding injuries on Resha's forehead and face as well as Vedika's hands and fingers when she tried to rescue her semi-conscious mother from their clutches...........
The Mali family had just returned after a week long vacation in Thailand's sylvan and serene climes; they touched down at the Mumbai international airport at around 11:15 pm or so on Sunday night and then proceeded to Resha's brother's house from where they started their onward journey for Pune at around 12:45 am on the fateful Monday morning........
According to Amit, he decided to make a pit stop at one of the petrol pumps that abound the expressway and had just made his way to the other side of the expressway in order to fetch bottles of water and some coffee for all of them while leaving the motor/engine idling so that the car's AC would keep cooling his family members when he heard his wife and daughter shouting for help at the top of their voices........
" A group/band of around four men or so had surrounded our car and ordered Resha to roll down the windows; they then proceeded to break down both the front and back windshields of the car when Resha refused to comply with their orders, pulled her out by her hair and then proceeded to assault her on her head, forehead and face with iron rods and lathis".......;
"Vedika who was sitting on the back side was temporarily taken aback when she saw her mother bleeding copiously from the wounds inflicted on her head by the band of thieves. but then retaliated and came to her mother's aid as a result of which she suffered grievous injuries on her fingers hands and palms, a couple of which had to be stitched up"..........
"By the time, I could react after hearing the continuous honking and cries for help, the robbers were already making a beeline towards the railway tracks on the far side of the expressway; thank the lord for those employees of the petrol pump who rushed towards our car and called up the cops with my wife's mobile" a thoroughly shaken up and distraught Amit signs off...........
Somehow Amit managed to start his vehicle and make a beeline towards the nearest police station but had to stop midway on account of a minor accident; the cops who were already at the accident site took one look at the injured mother and daughter and promptly summoned a 108 ambulance that rushed the injured victims to a government medical facility in the neighbouring Kamshet area where their injuries were attended too...........
The Mali's then proceeded to register a written complaint with the Kamshet cops and efforts are on to trace the whereabouts of the band of robbers who looted the Mali family toi the tune of around two lakh rupees; according to a senior police official, numerous minor incidents of robbery have been reported from the very same spot in the past, but this is the first incident of this magnitude and severity........
Patrolling will henceforth be intensified at these and other sensitive or trouble prone spots and the number of police personnel deployed on night duty will also be significantly increased in order to ensure that there is no repetition of such incidents.......
Well, the police personnel might well do their work, but travellers need to take necessary precautions too, only stop at well lit and conspicuously populated spots when necessary and immediately summon a PCR/mobile police patrol to the spot in case of a breakdown.........
In an incident that is sure to make many a night time traveller on the above mentioned expressway change his already charted out plans as well as send more than a shiver or two down the spines of the rest, a family of three hailing from Pune's Kharadi area had the most horrific and traumatic experience of their lives while on their way from Mumbai to Pune at around 2 am or so in the wee hours of Monday morning.........
Highway robbers who have taken to the highway with a vengeance of late; dragged the mother and daughter out of the car in which they were safely and securely (????) stationed and proceeded to mercilessly beat them with iron rods and lathis before making good their escape from the spot with all the family's valuables in tow........
All this happened in a matter of mere minutes while the husband as well as driver of the car had stopped the car in the vicinity of a bustling petrol pump and made his way to the other side of the highway in order to fetch bottles of water and cups of coffee for his better half and daughter.........
Amit Mali, 41, his better half Resha Mali, 34, and daughter Vedika Mali, 12, were poorer to the tune of Rupees 1.25 lakh (in various foreign currencies) as well as jewellery, watches, mobile phones and other valuables thanks to a a marauding band of robbers who inflicted bleeding injuries on Resha's forehead and face as well as Vedika's hands and fingers when she tried to rescue her semi-conscious mother from their clutches...........
The Mali family had just returned after a week long vacation in Thailand's sylvan and serene climes; they touched down at the Mumbai international airport at around 11:15 pm or so on Sunday night and then proceeded to Resha's brother's house from where they started their onward journey for Pune at around 12:45 am on the fateful Monday morning........
According to Amit, he decided to make a pit stop at one of the petrol pumps that abound the expressway and had just made his way to the other side of the expressway in order to fetch bottles of water and some coffee for all of them while leaving the motor/engine idling so that the car's AC would keep cooling his family members when he heard his wife and daughter shouting for help at the top of their voices........
" A group/band of around four men or so had surrounded our car and ordered Resha to roll down the windows; they then proceeded to break down both the front and back windshields of the car when Resha refused to comply with their orders, pulled her out by her hair and then proceeded to assault her on her head, forehead and face with iron rods and lathis".......;
"Vedika who was sitting on the back side was temporarily taken aback when she saw her mother bleeding copiously from the wounds inflicted on her head by the band of thieves. but then retaliated and came to her mother's aid as a result of which she suffered grievous injuries on her fingers hands and palms, a couple of which had to be stitched up"..........
"By the time, I could react after hearing the continuous honking and cries for help, the robbers were already making a beeline towards the railway tracks on the far side of the expressway; thank the lord for those employees of the petrol pump who rushed towards our car and called up the cops with my wife's mobile" a thoroughly shaken up and distraught Amit signs off...........
Somehow Amit managed to start his vehicle and make a beeline towards the nearest police station but had to stop midway on account of a minor accident; the cops who were already at the accident site took one look at the injured mother and daughter and promptly summoned a 108 ambulance that rushed the injured victims to a government medical facility in the neighbouring Kamshet area where their injuries were attended too...........
The Mali's then proceeded to register a written complaint with the Kamshet cops and efforts are on to trace the whereabouts of the band of robbers who looted the Mali family toi the tune of around two lakh rupees; according to a senior police official, numerous minor incidents of robbery have been reported from the very same spot in the past, but this is the first incident of this magnitude and severity........
Patrolling will henceforth be intensified at these and other sensitive or trouble prone spots and the number of police personnel deployed on night duty will also be significantly increased in order to ensure that there is no repetition of such incidents.......
Well, the police personnel might well do their work, but travellers need to take necessary precautions too, only stop at well lit and conspicuously populated spots when necessary and immediately summon a PCR/mobile police patrol to the spot in case of a breakdown.........
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