3 visually-impaired robbed in Greater Noida, auto driver arrested

The auto driver robbed Giri of his mobile phone which was in his pocket, cash, and groceries that they had brought from the NGO

Noida: Days after three visually-challenged people, including a woman, were allegedly robbed of a mobile phone, ₹3,000 cash, and groceries allegedly by an auto-rickshaw driver in Greater Noida’s Ecotech 3 locality on Tuesday evening, police arrested the suspect on Thursday with the help of electronic surveillance.

With the help of stolen mobile phone location and CCTV footage, the suspect was arrested on Thursday. (HT Photo)

Police said the complainant, Rajkumar Giri, 30, who hails from Bihar and resides at a rented accommodation in Habibpur in Ecotech 3, is a visually challenged person. He works at a private firm.

“On Tuesday, Giri lodged a police complaint saying that he, along with his wife Renuka and acquaintance Dilip Paswan both also visually challenged, went to collect groceries from an NGO in Paschim Vihar, Delhi. On their way back home, a Metro volunteer dropped them outside Botanical Garden Metro station in Noida after hiring an auto-rickshaw for them,” said station house officer (Ecotech 3) Dharmendra Kumar Shukla.

However, instead of taking them to their home in Habibpur, the auto-rickshaw driver allegedly took them to an isolated place in Kachhi Sadak in Ecotech 3.

“The auto-rickshaw driver asked them to alight the vehicle at an isolated place citing some important work. As they complied, the suspect robbed Giri of his mobile phone which was in his pocket, cash, and groceries that they had brought from the NGO,” the officer said citing the complaint.

Later, the trio somehow managed to approach the police station.

On the complaint of the victim, a case under section 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the unidentified suspect on Wednesday.

“Police dropped them at their home after buying groceries for them,” said the SHO, adding that with the help of stolen mobile phone location and CCTV footage, the suspect was arrested on Thursday.

“The suspect was identified as Priyanshu Rajput, 19, a native of Surajpur. A cash of ₹1,000, groceries, and his auto-rickshaw used in the crime were confiscated from his possession,” the officer added.