Engineer-turned-rapper held from Ayodhya for robbing cabbie in Delhi

The accused, identified as Aryan Rajvansh, wanted to rob the cab driver, Kulbhushan Sharma, as he was faced with a cash crunch. He was carrying a loaded gun for the crime, police said, adding they recovered the firearm and the cab driver’s phone

New Delhi

The man shot the cab driver in his hip when he tried to flee, police said. (Getty Images)

A 25-year-old engineer-turned-rapper was arrested from his home town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly robbing a 38-year-old cab driver of his cellphone by holding him hostage at gunpoint and shooting him in the hip when he tried to resist, at a petrol pump in Sriniwaspuri, south Delhi, early Sunday, police said.

The accused, identified as Aryan Rajvansh, wanted to rob the cab driver, Kulbhushan Sharma, as he was faced with a cash crunch. He was carrying a loaded gun for the crime, police said, adding they recovered the firearm and the cab driver’s phone.

Deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Rajesh Deo said that the incident took place around 1.30am on Sunday, with the Amar Colony police station receiving a call regarding the firing. A police team visited the spot and learnt that a cab driver was shot in his hip by a passenger who was travelling to Kashmere Gate from Dwarka Mor. The attacker fled after firing the bullet.

“The cabbie was admitted to AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment. He told the police that soon after leaving Dwarka Mor, the passenger pointed a gun at him and threatened to kill him if he raised the alarm. The passenger robbed him of his mobile phone and forced him to drive the vehicle around. As the vehicle was running out of fuel, the cabbie told the passenger that he had to refuel and stopped it at the Sriniwaspuri petrol pump. As the cabbie tried to escape, the passenger shot him,” Deo said.

Police filed a case under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act. Through technical investigation, the suspect was traced to Ayodhya and arrested from his house following a raid, the police said.

“Rajvansh said he came to Delhi to collect his luggage from his friend’s accommodation at Dwarka Mor. After collecting the luggage, he was travelling to Kashmere Gate interstate bus terminal when he committed the crime,” an investigator said.

Deo said that Rajvansh completed his B.Tech in computer science from an engineering college at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu in 2022. He then became a rapper and started uploading his videos on YouTube, police said. “However, he did not get success in his new career and it led to his financial woes,” the DCP said.