The robbers attacked the 54-year-old watchman with knives and later thrashed him; they also assaulted the temple priest and his wife for getting in their way
A 54-year-old watchman was beaten to death when he stepped in to prevent a gang of robbers from robbing a priest’s quarters at the Shree Balaji Temple at Vadmukhwadi on the Pune-Alandi Road yesterday. The incident took place between 3 am to 4 am when six unidentified men entered the temple’s premises and marched towards the priest’s residence where the temple’s valuables were kept. When the security guard intervened he was mercilessly beaten.
The deceased has been identified as Nagesh Pawar (54), a resident of Bhosari. The priest Chiranjilal Trivedi (72) and his wife Manorama (65) have sustained injuries in the incident. They are undergoing treatment at the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital in Pimpri.
Representational pic
The robbers decamped with two gold crowns, gold jewellery worth Rs 5.22 lakh and Rs 9,000 in cash. Another security guard, Tukaram Nimba Kate (54) was also assaulted when he tried to stop the robbery.
Pune Police Commissioner Satish Mathur along with a few senior officials visited the spot yesterday morning. “They thrashed Kate and tied him up with a rope. When Pawar intervened, they attacked him with knives and rods,” said PI N K Ghogre.
He added, “The dacoits also broke the halogen lights and damaged the CCTV cameras in the temple premises. They then entered the house and beat-up the priest his wife before taking away the ornaments kept in a big wooden box. They then dumped the box, CCTV wires and Pawar’s body into a nearby well.”
Senior Police Inspector Sudhakar Kate, in-charge of Vishrantwadi police station, said, “We have registered a murder case against the unknown suspects and the investigation is in progress.”
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