Pune: A car theft incident occurred on the Pune-Nashik Highway at Kharpudi Phata when two men posing as hitchhikers stole a four-wheeler and a mobile phone at knifepoint.

The event took place on Thursday (October 17) evening, but the driver managed to escape by jumping out of the moving vehicle near Shiroli in Khed Taluka. Rajgurunagar Police have registered a case against the two suspects and have begun an investigation.

Sachin Dagdu Morade (43), a resident of Manchar in Ambegaon Taluka, lodged the complaint. According to Morade’s report, he was driving his Ertiga vehicle (MH 14 KN 3970) from Pune to Manchar around 6 PM on Thursday.

After passing Chakan Chowk and heading towards Rajgurunagar, two individuals requested a lift. They claimed in Hindi that they needed to go to Sangamner and did not have any money. Morade agreed to drop them off at Manchar, and the two men boarded the car, one sitting in the front and the other in the back seat.

As they reached Kharpudi Phata, the individual seated in the back complained of feeling nauseous and asked Morade to stop the car near a brick kiln. Morade pulled over, and they all exited the vehicle.

When they got back inside, the person in the back suddenly threatened Morade by holding a knife to his neck. As Morade attempted to resist, the other suspect tied his hands with a rope and pulled him to the back seat, laying him down. They then took his mobile phone and demanded his PhonePe and Google Pay passwords, but Morade refused to comply.

One of the suspects then took the driver’s seat and began to drive. After traveling a short distance, Morade managed to jump out of the moving vehicle and escaped.

The suspects fled towards Rajgurunagar with the stolen vehicle and phone. Morade then took another vehicle to reach Rajgurunagar Police Station and reported the incident.

The Rajgurunagar and Chakan Police departments are investigating the matter, but as of Sunday (20th), no progress has been made in locating the suspects or the stolen car.