Pune: Four men abused and attacked two students of a city-based college with sharp weapons before robbing them of valuables, collectively worth Rs20,000, on Baner tekdi around 7.30pm on Sunday, prompting police to beef up security near hillocks in the city. Senior inspector Mahesh Bolkotgi of the Chatushrungi police on Monday said, "A beat marshal had instructed evening walkers/joggers to leave Baner tekdi around 6pm as a preventive measure because the place is prone to robbery and thefts in late evening hours.
Later, the two students reached there on bicycles and climbed up the hillock for an evening walk. The four men with sharp weapons threatened the duo finding them on the deserted tekdi and told them to hand over their valuables, but they refused." The police officer said the suspects, communicating in Marathi, abused and threatened to kill the victims if they did not part with the valuables.
"One of the robbers attacked one of the victims with a sharp weapon on his right knee. The robbers then snatched the student's cellphone and forced him to reveal its PIN, besides robbing him of earbuds and other articles. The victims were so afraid that they did not resist the robbers because they were four in number and had weapons.
After a while, the duo mustered some courage and raised an alarm. The panicked robbers then fled in different directions and melted into darkness." One of the 19-year-old students from Nagaland, currently staying with his friends in a rented flat at Gan.
