Five-star hotel chef robbed by autorickshaw driver, co-passengers in Ghaziabad

A 31-year-old chef at a five-star hotel in Agra was allegedly robbed of cash and valuables in an autorickshaw in the early hours of Monday

A 31-year-old chef at a five-star hotel in Agra was allegedly robbed of cash and valuables in an autorickshaw in the early hours of Monday.

The autorickshaw driver’s accomplices posed as his passengers, said police.

The incident took place when Lalit Kumar Singh arrived by bus at Noida’s sector 37 from Agra at 2.30am on Monday, said police. From there, he took an auto and reached Noida’s sector 62, said police. Then he took another auto to take him to Vijay Nagar in Ghaziabad, said police officers.

“However, instead of going to Vijay Nagar, the driver took the auto towards Sajwan Nagar and stopped beneath a flyover. There, he overpowered me with the help of my co-passengers and they held me hostage. They robbed me of ₹14,800 in cash. They also took my other valuables, including my phone, and left me there, after taking my phone’s password and my online wallet password,” Singh said in his complaint to the police.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a first information report under Indian Penal Code Section 392 (robbery) at Vijay Nagar police station against the unidentified auto driver and his unidentified accomplices, who posed as passengers. Noida’s sector 62 and Vijay Nagar in Ghaziabad are connected by national highway 9.

“We have formed several teams to trace the auto driver and his accomplices, who posed as passengers. We are also trying to trace the suspects, who could be part of gangs which performed similar robberies on national highway 9 while picking passengers from sector 62,” said Anshu Jain, assistant commissioner of police (city 1).