Gone in 120 seconds: Gujarat based businessman robbed of Rs45 lakh near Vasai

A visit to an orchestra bar late on Sunday night proved costly for a 22-year-old Gujarat-based businessman, who was attacked and robbed of Rs45 lakh from 4 masked men. The loot took place in the span of two minutes on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway.

As per the Valiv police, Surat resident Abhishek Mantri flew in to Mumbai from Hyderabad and was en route to Gujarat in his Chevrolet Cruze (GJ 16 AP 7744) when he stopped at Dahisar. There, he and his friend, 33, visited and splurged at an orchestra bar.

In an apparent drunken stupor, Mantri informed the bar manager that there was a large amount of cash kept in his car. Possibly overhearing this disclosure, the Cruze was followed till Tungareshwar and Vasai phata, where the duo was attacked and robbed of the bag of cash.

About the assault, Mantri said, "Around 2am, we stopped to answer nature's call, when we saw a Maruti Swift without a numberplate driving on the wrong side. The 4 men, aged around 20-25 years, attacked me with a hard iron-like object. They then snatched the car's keys, and ran off with the bag of cash."

All this happened within two minutes and the duo sought help from the locals nearby. The Valiv police is interrogating the bar manager as well as the woman in the bar with whom the duo had interacted.

Narayan Patil, police inspector, Valiv police station, said, "We have registered a case of robbery and are investigating further. We have recorded the victims' statements and will soon arrest the culprits."