The robbers’ car was at the spot of the incident an hour before the Hyundai Verna carrying `70 lakh arrived there, indicating that the robbery was premeditated.
Vijay Vitthal Kerkar (35), an eyewitness and a resident of Naigaon, who was in the vicinity when the heist occurred, had seen the car arrive and park itself, an hour before the robbery.
Mr Kerkar, who is a businessman, had gone to the Vitthal Mandir in Dadar (east) on Wednesday. “I saw the car parked a little before the end of the lane, close to the foot overbridge at Dadar (east),” he said. Mr Kerkar then went back home to freshen up, only to return an hour later to meet his friend, who runs a footwear stall in the lane.
The footwear stall is located right opposite the Karishma Bar, where the robbery took place. “I was having tea and chatting with my friend when the entire incident unfolded before us. On of the robbers forcibly opened the door and snatched the bag. It is only then that I realised that it was the same car I had seen an hour ago,” Mr Kerkar said. His statement was
then recorded by officers of the anti-robbery and dacoity cell of the crime branch.
When contacted, senior PI Vikram Patil refused to comment on the possibility of an inside hand.