Midnight assault on Panchkula based hotelier

The complainant further said that a girl and two boys, who appeared to be drunk, were also present in the attacker’s car

A hotelier was allegedly stopped, assaulted and looted by miscreants, including a girl, in Panchkula’s Sector 20 around midnight on April 14. The FIR was registered on Saturday.

A case Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 341 (wrongful restraint), 379 (theft) and 427 (mischief causing damage to amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code was registered at Sector 20 police station in Panchkula (Getty Images)

The victim, Ekansh Aggarwal, 29, a resident of Sector 21 and owner of a restaurant, told HT, “I closed my restaurant and was on my way back home around midnight. As I crossed the Sector 20 underpass, a speeding car came from the Zirakpur side.”

“The driver started following me and when we reached near Vita booth of Sector 20, he blocked my way. A youth came out with a stick and started hurling abuses. While I tried to pacify him, he got into my car, snatched ₹5,000 cash that I was carrying and left after thrashing me,” he said.

The complainant further said that a girl and two boys, who appeared to be drunk, were also present in the attacker’s car.

He added: “As I tried to flee, the accused threw a stick that damaged the rear window of my car. Within two minutes, I reached police station and told them everything. But they took their own time to get dressed and listen to me even as the attackers passed by the police station in their Swift car.”

When asked about the delay in action, SHO Sector 20, Anil said: “It was suspicious why his car would be stopped, especially when a girl was sitting inside the other car. So, after verifying the facts, I have got the case registered.”