Robbers spray pepper on forex trader’s face, flee with Rs25.9 lakh

Pune: The Sahakarnagar police have launched a hunt for four men after they allegedly sprayed pepper and robbed a forex trader of Rs25.9 lakh in Dhankawadi around 9.20am on Monday.

The forex trader, Aniket Kadam (47) of Dhankawdi, lodged a complaint with the police late on Monday evening. Senior inspector Vitthal Pawar said, “Kadam runs a small firm involved in foreign currency trading. He deals in various currencies and accepts investments from clients for forex trading.”

He said, “Kadam collects money either in cash or through online transfers. He regularly visits a bank in Dhankawdi on Mondays before going to the office to deposit the cash collected from clients on Saturdays and Sundays because these remain closed on weekends.”

Pawar said, “Kadam went to the bank this Monday on his two-wheeler. The suspects followed him from his home to the bank on two motorcycles. They intercepted him near the bank and claimed that he had an accident with one of them. They started arguing with him, following which one of the suspects pulled out a bottle of pepper and sprayed it on his face.”

He said, “Kadam was unable to open his eyes for a few minutes after the suspect sprayed pepper on his face. Taking advantage of the situation, the suspects snatched his bag containing Rs25.9 lakh and sped away.”

Pawar said, “The area is under CCTV surveillance and we are examining the footage. The suspects fled towards Katraj Chowk after committing the robbery. Our teams are trying to identify the vehicles used in the crime as well as the suspects involved.”