Pune: The Kondhwa police on Tuesday evening arrested four youths for robbing a 27-year-old man from Wagholi after befriending him on a dating app. The robbery took place in an isolated spot near Sheetal Petrol Pump in Kondhwa on the night of Jan 11. The accused stole a debit card, mobile phone, and gold and silver jewellery, totalling Rs80,300, from the victim. The victim, who works with a private company, approached the Kondhwa police on Jan 20 morning and lodged a complaint. A team headed by senior inspector Kumar Ghadge of the Kondhwa police then tracked down the suspects. “We arrested Rahil Akhil Shaikh (19) and Rohan Naeem Shaikh (19) of Kondhwa, as well as Shahid Shanoor Momin (25) and Ishan Nisar Shaikh (25), of Katraj. The arrested men all engage in odd jobs around the city,” Ghadge said. The suspects had befriended the victim on the app just days prior to the incident. Ghadge added, “The victim had an account on the dating app. The same app was used by two of the suspects. The suspects contacted the victim, and they planned a date at an open plot near Sheetal Petrol Pump. As decided, the victim reached the spot and the suspects arrived, too, but armed with iron rods and sharp weapons. They issued threats of dire consequences and then robbed him.”
