Two men accused of posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers and robbing an elderly trader of ₹25 lakh in Maharashtra’s Akola district have been arrested within 12 hours of the crime. Police recovered the entire stolen amount along with other valuables and launched a probe into the source of the cash.
The incident occurred on June 19 at Balapur bus stand, where the accused allegedly targeted a nearly 70-year-old businessman from Khamgaon who operates a PCO call centre. According to police, the suspects used a fake CBI identity card and a fabricated investigation to gain the victim’s trust before carrying out the robbery.
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Fake CBI Identity Used to Target Trader
Investigators said one of the accused was already acquainted with the victim and allegedly identified him as a target. Police said the accused used online tools to create a fake CBI identity card and approached the businessman while posing as a CBI officer.
The trader was allegedly told that he was involved in illegal financial transactions. The accused threatened him with legal action and demanded that he hand over his mobile phone and a bag containing cash. He was also instructed to accompany them to a police station.
Elaborate Deception at Bus Stand
To make the operation appear genuine, the first accused allegedly contacted his accomplice and staged what appeared to be an official questioning process. Police said the victim was led to believe that he was being taken for inquiry.
However, after the businessman got off the bus, the two men allegedly fled with the cash and his mobile phone. Initially unaware that he had been deceived, the trader waited at the bus stand for a police vehicle that never arrived. He later realised he had been cheated and filed a complaint at Balapur Police Station.
CCTV Footage Leads to Arrests
Given the seriousness of the case, Akola Superintendent of Police Archit Chandak constituted a special investigation team led by Police Inspector Nitin Levarkar. The team, comprising three officers and 20 personnel, examined footage from nearly 50 CCTV cameras installed along the Khamgaon-Balapur route.
Using technical analysis and confidential inputs, investigators identified and arrested the suspects in Khamgaon. The accused were identified as Hardik Manoj Kumar Gurbani, 22, and Sahil Nandkishore Natthani, 25.
Police said they recovered ₹25 lakh in cash, the victim’s mobile phone valued at around ₹90,000, two motorcycles and other items, taking the total value of seized property to approximately ₹27.5 lakh. Authorities also said they would write to the GST department to verify the source of the large amount of cash being carried by the trader. Superintendent Chandak announced a reward of ₹25,000 for the Local Crime Branch team for the swift detection of the case. Further investigation is being carried out by Balapur Police.
