The Raigad police has sent a team of policemen to interrogate the seven criminals who were arrested in Aurangabad on Saturday morning to check if any of them were behind the violent robbery at the Suvarna Ganesh temple in Dive Agar.
According to police sources, the seven accused have a history of violent robberies and were arrested in the Gangapur area in Aurangabad on Saturday morning. They have been identified as Vijay Pimple, Sheru Pimple, Balu Kale, Mohan Kale, Akaash Kale, Raju Pimple and Ganesh Pimple.
The Aurangabad police had received a tip-off that the gang would be gathering at the Pakora village on Saturday, and that they planned to proceed to rob a jewellery store in a nearby village. Accordingly, the police laid a trap and arrested them. Several weapons like axes, choppers and iron rods have been seized from them, the police said. “The seven are suspects in the Dive Agar heist and our officers are at the moment in Aurangabad, interrogating the accused to check if any of them were involved in it. The accused are still being interrogated and at this point we can not conclusively comment if they were involved,” said Ashwini Sanap, sub-divisional police officer, Alibaug division.
On being asked whether any of them resembled the two robbers, who were caught on CCTV cameras in the temple, Ms Sanap said that the images were not too clear due to lack of sufficient light, and hence comparison was difficult.
The Suvarna Ganesh temple, which is a popular pilgrimage spot for countless devotees, was robbed in March by two unidentified men. The duo entered the temple and brutally assaulted the two night watchmen and fled with the 400-year-old solid gold idol of Lord Ganesh. One of the watchmen later died.