Man hires taxi for PGI, snatches it at knifepoint in Panchkula

The accused sat in the car with his face concealed under a cloth. When questioned by the taxi driver, he said he had covered his mouth due to an infectious disease

An unidentified man, who hired a cab to reach PGIMER, snatched the car after threatening the driver with a knife in Mansa Devi Complex (MDC), Sector 5, on Tuesday.

After asking the taxi driver to take a detour, the accused flashed a knife to threaten him. (Shutterstock photo)

The victim, Swapnil, is a mechanic, who lives in Railway Colony, Kalka.

He told the police that he drove a Hyundai i10 as a taxi on the side. On Tuesday, he received a call around 5pm for a cab booking. The caller told him he wanted to go to PGIMER, Chandigarh, to pick up his relatives.

When Swapnil picked up the caller, he found his face covered with a cloth. On being questioned, the customer responded that he was concealing his mouth due to an infectious disease.

On the way, the man asked Swapnil to take the car through MDC. As they reached near the MDC gurdwara, the man brandished a knife, and told Swapnil to step out of the car. When Swapnil got out, the accused sped away after also snatching his mobile phone, he told the police.

Acting on his complaint, police have registered a case under Sections 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act at the Mansa Devi Complex police station. An investigation has been launched to trace the car and the accused.