Booty worth over Rs 6.75 lakh was stolen in the two incidents -- one at Bodkewadi near Dehu village and the other at Ambavane near Paud.

Five revolver-wielding men stole booty Rs 6.71 lakh from Ashok Gulab Karmare's Ritesh Poultry Farm at Bodkewadi after attacking farm employees Uttam Bhimrao Chavan and Antim Nagnath Nikam.

The police suspect involvement of other poultry farm worker, Sanjay Bangali, in the dacoity as he went away with the dacoits by a jeep, which had been hired from Chembur, Mumbai.

The jeep was later found abandoned near Sunny Dhaba at Kamshet on Mumbai-Pune highway. Jeep driver Prakash Amruta Gade from Navi Mumbai claims that the men forced him to alight on the Talegaon-Chakan road.

Bangali was working at the poultry for six months. Preliminary investigation shows that he had made a telephone call to friends in Mumbai a couple of days ago, superintendent of police (Pune rural) Suresh Khopade said.

Nikam, who had spotted Bangali waiting on the highway on Tuesday night, says Bangali told him that he was waiting for friends from Mumbai. Shortly after that, Bangali arrived at the poultry with the five revolver-wielding persons.

They assaulted Chavan and Nikam, threatened to shoot them and tied them up before snapping telephone wires. They broke open three cupboards and took away Rs 2.85 lakh in cash and gold ornaments weighing 22 tolas.

Chavan and Nikam contacted the poultry owner and told him about the incident after succeeding in rescuing themselves. Karmare contacted the Dehu Road police.

A Dehu Road police team led by assistant police inspector Ganapatrao Gaikwad was rushed to Mumbai.

A sniffer dog and a team of finger print experts were summoned from Pune. Some finger prints were obtained from the cupboards.

Senior police officials including Khopade, superintendent of police (state CID, crime) Rajendra Sonavane, deputy superintendents of police Rajendra Dahale and Subhash Mohekar and circle police inspector Dilip Shinde are camping at Dehu to supervise the investigation.

In the incident at Ambavane, three members of a family were injured when four sword-wielding men targeted their house early on Wednesday.

Ravikant Chandrakant Gandhi and his brothers Shashikant and Manik were fast asleep around 2 a.m. when the men broke open the door of their house.

They decamped with gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 4,000, after attacking the Gandhis with swords. Seriously injured Gandhi brothers have been admitted to the Sassoon hospital. Ravikant has lodged a first information report with the Paud police.