Gurugram: Chef at Sec 43 school assaulted, robbed during cab ride
Gurugram A 34-year-old chef, who works with a private school in Sector 43, was assaulted and robbed of cash and his belongings after he tried to hitchhike his way home from Iffco Chowk on September 28.
He was later thrown out of the car at an isolated stretch near Hero Honda Chowk, the police said on Friday. A case under sections 379A (snatching) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC was registered at Sadar police station against four unidentified persons on Thursday.
According to the police, the complainant, Ashok Kumar, left for his rented room in Sector 44 after completing his evening shift. Around 2am, he boarded an autorickshaw from there to reach Iffco Chowk and then take a cab to Mahendragarh, where his family resides. Kumar said he flagged down a Swift Dzire, which was going towards Rewari, at Iffco Chowk around 2.30 am.
“When I boarded the car, four people, including the driver, were already inside. I sat on the rear seat where two men were already seated. They drove towards IMT Manesar and suddenly took a U-turn. One of the passengers asked me to sit in between, claiming he was feeling suffocated,” said Kumar. He said that after two kilometres, two of the passengers started assaulting him and asked to hand over his belongings.
“When the car reached the Rajokri underpass, the driver took a U-turn. When I objected, the driver ignored and kept driving towards Hero Honda Chowk. I asked them to stop the car but they caught hold of my neck and hit my head with a sharp object. The men who were posing as passengers were in cahoots with the driver, who was smiling and threatening me,” Kumar said.
One of the suspects, seated to his left, allegedly snatched his mobile phone, wallet and an ATM card. The one on the right allegedly snatched his bag, which had his clothes and gifts for his family. “It all happened within half an hour. We reached Iffco Chowk and I requested them to drop me there, but they wanted ₹50,000 and forced me to reveal my ATM pin,” said Kumar.
He told them that he had only ₹3,400 and there was no cash in the account, the police said.
Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that one of the suspects checked the account balance an ATM kiosk near Sector 18. “They got agitated upon hearing that there was no money and started beating him up again. They drove the car towards Hero Honda Chowk and pushed him out,” he said.
He boarded a bus and reached his house on September 29. The police said he was taken to a private hospital and underwent treatment. He returned to the city on Thursday and lodged a complaint.
Sangwan said that during questioning, robbers who were arrested on Wednesday revealed that they had offered Kumar a lift and robbed him. “They said they robbed him of cash and other belongings. We are yet to recover the robbed articles from them,” he said.
