‘Accident trap’ robbery on Bagodara highway cracked within hours, two arrested

The Ahmedabad Rural Local Crime Branch (LCB), in coordination with Bagodara police, has solved a robbery-cum-assault case reported on the Bagodara–Tarapur highway, arresting two accused within hours of the incident and recovering valuables worth ₹2.53 lakh, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on the night of December 21 when a couple was travelling from Vadodara to their native place in Surendranagar in a Maruti car. According to the police, the accused followed the complainant’s vehicle for nearly 20–25 km before deliberately ramming it on the highway near Bagodara village, around 8 pm.

Taking advantage of the staged “accident”, the accused allegedly assaulted the complainant and his wife, forcibly took away their car, two mobile phones and cash, and fled from the spot. The injured complainant was later shifted to a hospital for treatment. A case of robbery was registered at Bagodara Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

Following the incident, senior officers directed an immediate investigation. Police teams alerted control rooms across neighbouring districts, including Surendranagar, Bhavnagar, Botad, Kheda, Anand and Vadodara Rural, while toll booths and highway routes were placed under surveillance. CCTV footage from multiple locations, including the Borsad toll plaza, was examined.

Based on CCTV inputs, police identified the vehicle used in the crime as a black Mahindra Scorpio. With assistance from the state’s command and control centre and Vadodara city police, the Ahmedabad Rural LCB and Bagodara police tracked down and arrested the accused within a few hours.

The arrested men have been identified as Govindbhai Dharmeshbhai Vaghela (27), a resident of Ranoli village in Vadodara district and Kamleshbhai Rameshbhai Salat (23), a resident of the Atladara area of Vadodara city.

Police said they recovered the Scorpio SUV used in the crime, two mobile phones, cash and the complainant’s Maruti car. The seized property includes the Scorpio vehicle worth about ₹5 lakh, mobile phones valued at ₹40,000, cash of ₹8,000 and the Maruti car valued at around ₹2 lakh.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain whether the accused were involved in similar highway robberies, police added.