Chandigarh: E-rickshaw driver robbed at knifepoint in Ram Darbar

The victim, Ajane Laxman, a resident of Phase-2, Ramdarbar, narrated in his complaint that he earns his livelihood by driving an e-rickshaw; on August 12, around 8.40 pm, he reached near Vikas Nagar light point when two boys boarded his rickshaw, asking him to take them to Hallo Majra light point

A 35-year-old e-rickshaw driver from Ram Darbar was looted at knifepoint by two youths on Monday night near Vikas Nagar light point. While one of the accused managed to escape, the other sustained injuries after jumping from a bridge during the attempt to flee and was caught by the police.

During the incident, the victim said that the assailants were heard calling each other by their names, Saurav and Sandeep (HT photo for representation)

The victim, Ajane Laxman, a resident of Phase-2, Ramdarbar, narrated in his complaint that he earns his livelihood by driving an e-rickshaw. On August 12, around 8.40 pm, he reached near Vikas Nagar light point when two boys boarded his rickshaw, asking him to take them to Hallo Majra light point.

According to Laxman, when the rickshaw reached near the railway bridge on the slip road, one of the boys asked him to stop, saying he wanted to urinate. “The moment I stopped, one of them pulled out a knife and placed it on my stomach, threatening to slit it open if I resisted. The other also drew a knife. They took my purse from my pocket, which contained my Aadhaar card and some cash. They also snatched my mobile phone kept on the dashboard of the rickshaw,” he told the police.

During the incident, the victim said that the assailants were heard calling each other by their names, Saurav and Sandeep. One of them pointed out that some cash had fallen on the ground and asked the other to pick it up.

Laxman raised an alarm, drawing the attention of nearby passersby. In the chaos, one of the boys managed to run away, while the other panicked and jumped off the bridge. He was injured in the fall and lay on the spot, unable to escape further. Meanwhile, a PCR vehicle arrived after being alerted about the commotion and shifted the injured accused, who identified himself as Saurav, to the hospital. During questioning, he disclosed the name of his accomplice as Sandeep, a resident of Mauli Pind.

Police said the complainant has stated that he can identify the other accused if produced before him. On inspecting the crime spot near the under-bridge slip road, the team recovered a knife which was identified by the complainant as the one used by the accused.

A case has been registered under Section 309(4) (robbery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against both accused, Saurav and Sandeep. Efforts are underway to arrest the absconding accused Sandeep.