A promise of easy profit turned into a trap for a Pune-based land dealer who was robbed of Rs 5 lakh by a gang posing as police officers in Kalyan. Swift coordination between police units led to the arrest of eight accused within 36 hours, after dramatic highway interceptions.

According to Kolsewadi police, Deepak Maruti Shinde, 46, a land dealer from Wagholi in Pune, was contacted by a man identifying himself as Sayeed Ahmed from Solapur on February 20. The caller offered a cash exchange deal — Rs 7 lakh in small denomination notes in return for Rs 5 lakh — promising Shinde a profit of Rs 2 lakh.