Ludhiana: 3 vegetable sellers en route to market attacked, robbed

The incident triggered a protest by the victims, local residents and traders, who blocked the road and raised concerns over the law and order situation in the area

Three vegetable sellers heading to the wholesale market were allegedly intercepted and robbed by three scooter-borne assailants in the Gurmel Nagar area of Daba in the early hours of Monday.

The protesters alleged that snatching and robbery incidents had become frequent in the locality. (HT File)

The assailants brandished sharp-edged weapons and attacked the trio when they resisted the robbery, the victims told police.

The incident triggered a protest by the victims, local residents and traders, who blocked the road and raised concerns over the law and order situation in the area.

The protesters alleged that snatching and robbery incidents had become frequent in the locality.

According to the complaint filed by Hanuman Yadav, 32, of Mahadev Nagar in Sahnewal, he was travelling with fellow vegetable sellers Surjit Gupta and Sandeep Kumar in a pickup vehicle to procure vegetables from the market near Salem Tabri. When they reached near Gurmel Nagar, three men riding a scooter intercepted their vehicle.

The assailants allegedly brandished sharp-edged weapons and demanded cash. When the three men resisted, the accused attacked and injured them before fleeing with the cash.

Yadav told police that as the assailants attempted to escape on their scooter, he rammed the pickup vehicle into it. The scooter was damaged and the accused fled on foot, leaving it behind at the spot.

Following the incident, the victims, along with other residents and traders, staged a protest at the spot. They sat on the road and alleged that frequent incidents of snatching and robbery had left residents and traders fearful.

Inspector Jatinder Singh, station house officer (SHO) of Daba police station, said, “An FIR has been registered against three unidentified persons under Sections 304(2) (snatching), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (criminal act by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. We are examining the scooter abandoned by the accused for clues that could help identify them.”