Attacked with chilli powder, Ludhiana man foils trio’s robbery bid

Three men on motorcycle attacked the trader in Maya Nagar, Ghumar Mandi, while he was returning home from his shop with ₹4 lakh

An alert trader thwarted three men’s bid to rob him of ₹4 lakh after throwing chilli powder in his eyes near his house in Maya Nagar, Ghumar Mandi, on Friday night.

The 48-year-old gave the robbers the slip by speeding away on his scooter. (HT Photo)

Police said as Rajesh Kumar, 48, was wearing spectacles, the chilli powder didn’t reach both his eyes, allowing him to drive his scooter away to safety.

His brother Amit Kumar, told the police that Rajesh ran a readymade garment store in Hindi Bazaar in old city area and was returning home with ₹4 lakh made from sales when the attack took place.

During investigation, police found that the trio was tailing the trader since he left the shop. CCTV footage showed them lurking near the shop in wait and also consuming liquor. As Rajesh left the shop, they started following him.

Amit suspected the involvement of one of Rajesh’s employees who was hired 10 days ago. He left the shop around 7pm on Friday and did not report to work on Saturday.

Sub-inspector Rajinderpal Singh, station house officer (SHO), Division Number 8 police station, said they were trying to trace the employee for questioning and working to identify the other accused.