NAGPUR: New Kamptee police arrested two men for allegedly attempting to steal iron scrap belonging to Nagpur Metro after threatening a 60-year-old security guard with a sword in the early hours of Monday.

The accused have been identified as Akash Kachruji Hate, 40, a resident of Modi Padav in Old Kamptee, and Akash Matadin Barse, 38, a resident of Nimkheda in Tarsa, under Mouda police station limits.

According to police, a team led by Assistant Sub-Inspector Kishor Mahant was patrolling the area when it received a tip-off from an informant around 6 am on October 26. The information indicated that some men were attempting to commit a robbery by threatening a Metro employee with a sharp weapon near Chaudhary Hospital, close to the Ambedkar statue on the Kanhan Road.

Acting on the information, the police team rushed to the spot and allegedly found one of the accused standing with a sword while the other was loading Metro materials into an electric auto-rickshaw.

The police personnel apprehended both men and seized a sword worth approximately Rs 300, an electric auto-rickshaw valued at Rs 50,000 and a Redmi mobile phone worth Rs 10,000. The total value of the seized property was estimated at Rs 60,300.

Police said the accused allegedly threatened the security guard, identified as Dnyaneshwar Janardhan Mahalle, 60, a resident of Naka No. 2 in Khasala, with the sword while attempting to steal iron scrap belonging to the Metro.

A case was registered at New Kamptee police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act, along with Section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.

Police said Hate is a known offender with a criminal record and is allegedly feared in the locality. Further investigation is underway.