Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Rural police have arrested five members of an interstate dacoity gang, including alleged kingpin Parshuram Mohan Gaikwad, within three days of a brazen daylight robbery on Samruddhi Expressway near Vaijapur on Aug 26 that was captured on the victim’s dash camera.The robbery, in which a motorist was assaulted and robbed of a gold chain worth about Rs 1.5 lakh near Exit 18 at Hadas Pimpalgaon, triggered a political storm, with opposition targeting CM Devendra Fadnavis over safety on the expressway. Fadnavis later assured strict action against the culprits.Police identified the arrested accused as Parshuram Mohan Gaikwad (26), Kiran Ajinath Gaikwad (25), Karan Bharat Jadhav (22), Anil Jairam Jadhav and Pandit alias Channaappa Sakharam Lashkare. Kiran was picked up from Raimoha in Beed on Aug 29, Parshuram and Karan from Prasad Nagar in Delhi, Anil from Yeola in Nashik and Pandit from Beed city. Police said they had confessed and a hunt was on for other gang members.“We formed multiple teams and pursued the accused across different states and districts. Our teams are continuing efforts to trace the remaining accused. The kingpin was nabbed from one of the busiest places in Delhi,” Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar rural superintendent of police Prakash Jadhav told TOI.The case gained prominence after footage of the robbery went viral online. Maharashtra DGP Sadanand Date subsequently directed police during a videoconference to arrest the gang members at “any cost”. Vaijapur probationary SDPO Vinay Sonawane said the accused avoided using SIM cards and relied on WhatsApp calls to evade detection .Investigators described Parshuram as a hardened criminal with 23 cases registered against him across eight districts in Maharashtra and in Telangana. Police said he had earlier been booked under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act while lodged in Beed district prison.