Car dealer robbed of Rs5 lakh

Thieves posing as cable operators tie up a businessman and his domestic help and escape with Rs5 lakh

In a daring daylight heist in Bandra (West), three people posing as cable operators entered the fifth-floor residence of a businessman and robbed him of Rs5 lakh in cash.

The Khar police (they have jurisdiction over the area in question) have said that the incident took place at around 11.15am, when used-car dealer Ajay Murlidhar Bajaj (49) and his servant Harilal were at home in Taigo building, near Rizvi  College.

“The trio waited outside the building, apparently deterred by the presence of a watchman. Later, two genuine cable operators carrying wires entered the society. Taking advantage of this, the three walked in a little later and enquired from the watchman whether their colleagues had gone in. This allayed any suspicion the security guard may have had and allowed the robbers easy access to the building,” said a senior police officer.

The thieves then made their way to Bajaj’s residence and rang the doorbell. Harilal, who opened the door, was overpowered and tied up by the robbers.

“The robbers then armed themselves with a pressure cooker lid and knives from the kitchen and proceeded to the bedroom where a sick Bajaj, who was suffering with a cold and high fever, lay in bed. The robbers proceeded to hit Bajaj with the pressure cooker lid and told him they knew he dealt in used cars, before asking for the keys to his safe,” a senior police officer from Khar police station told DNA.

According to the police, after finding the keys to the cupboard, the robbers removed Rs5 lakh in cash and fled, leaving the two residents tied-up. The businessman’s family members were away in Pune when the incident took place. Bajaj is a bachelor, and has been dealing in used cars since 1991. He had only recently shifted to Bandra and was earlier a resident of Kherwadi.