Armed robbers loot ₹25 lakh from Angadia office in Pune

PUNE: Four to five armed men robbed ₹25 lakh cash from an Angadia office at Market Yard on Saturday morning. The Angadia system is a traditional parallel banking system where traders and rich people send cash and costly items from one place to another through a person called Angadia.

The Market Yard police and crime branch officials have formed teams to nab the accused who looted from the office located about 500 metres from a police station.

According to the police, the footages of CCTV camera installed at the office show the accused threatening staffers with arms, including pistols, and stealing cash from drawers. The CCTV cameras of nearby shops have captured the bikes used by the accused to escape.

Police said that the armed robbers entered the Angadia office located on the first floor of four-storeyed Ganaraj Market building around 11:30 am. When the two staffers present at the office tried to resist them, while an accused broke the door glass with a sickle and threatened them, another fired a bullet shot from a gun at the



ground. After robbing the office, the accused walked some distance where their accomplices were waiting on bikes and fled towards Satara Road.

As the office is situated at gate number 2 of Market Yard and at a distance from the main road, the fire shot was not heard by people.

Additional commissioner of police Namdev Chavan said, “No one was injured in the firing. We have recorded statements of the complainant and his staffers and a case of robbery has been registered against unknown people.”

Anagha Deshpande, senior inspector, Market Yard police station, said, “We are examining CCTV camera footages from the area to ascertain the identity of accused. Prima facie it appears that the accused fled with the cash by using various motorcycles.”

Police sources confirmed that one of the accused was injured after he broke the glass door of the Angadia office to gain entry.

A crime branch officer said that it appears to be a pre-planned robbery and accused conducted recce as well.