Five arrested for assaulting hotel owner over road-rage, three at large

Police said that according to the complainant, Hemwant Chauhan (35), the hotel owner, the incident just one day after the hotel’s inauguration

The Gautam Budh Nagar police arrested five suspects on Saturday in connection with an incident in which a hotel owner and three of his employees were allegedly attacked and injured by a group of eight men wielding rods and sticks in Greater Noida West.

The five suspects in custody. (HT Photo)

Police said that according to the complainant, Hemwant Chauhan (35), the hotel owner, the incident took place at 9.50 pm on September 27, just one day after the hotel’s inauguration.

Bisrakh, station house officer, Anil Rajput said, “The prime suspect is identified as Ravindra Yadav, who runs a dairy in Greater Noida, and the other four suspects as Devraj, Santram, Kaushendra, Deepak (all identified with single name).”

Based on Chauhan’s complaint, an FIR for attempt to murder and assault was registered under the relevant section of the Indian Penal Code at the Bisrakh police station on September 28.

SHO Rajput said, “On September 27, around pm, a fight broke out between Hemwant and accused Ravindra over a road rage incident. During the heated arguments, Ravindra called his friends and assaulted Hemwant and his hotel staff, including the manager.”

Complainant Hemwant Chauhan, a resident of Greater Noida said “I run a hotel named Hotel Hibiscus at the Galaxy Plaza in Greater Noida West. The hotel was inaugurated on September 26 by several VIPs, including state and cabinet ministers as well as the local MLA. A day after the inauguration, on the first day of operation, my car was deliberately hit by another car in the parking of the plaza on September 28 around 9.50 pm.”

Chauhan’s personal assistant and hotel manager who saw his car getting hit, reprimanded the people sitting inside the car, he said.

“When asked to drive carefully by my two staffers, the four men sitting in the car started abusing them. The hotel’s general manager saw this and informed me over call, following which he went to the spot to calm them down. I also rushed downstairs to the parking,” said Chauhan.

He added, “When I reached the spot, the car occupiers called six other men on three bikes who came wielding sticks and rods. They attacked my staffers with the intention of killing them. My staffers ran for their lives and rushed to the hotel’s basement. When I tried to intervene, they slapped me and tried to rob me by breaking the gold chain around my neck.”

“The men threatened to kill me as well as my staffers, saying that they are locals, and they will not let us do business here. As my staffers had hidden and I dialled the police helpline number, the attackers fled the spot,” said Chauhan.

The SHO added, “Five suspects were arrested on Saturday, while police teams are looking for three others who are on the run.”