Greater Noida: Man offered lift in car gets robbed of phone, ₹21,000 cash

Four persons have been booked for allegedly looting a 65-year-old man on the pretext of giving him lift in their car in Greater Noida on Thursday morning

Four persons have been booked for allegedly looting a 65-year-old man on the pretext of giving him lift in their car in Greater Noida on Thursday morning.

The man suffered injuries (in photo) in his hand after he was attacked with a screwdriver, said police on Thursday. (Sourced)

The victim -- identified as Brijendra Kataria -- is a resident of Sector Beta 1, and works as a manager at a private company.

Kataria was waiting for an auto when the four unidentified suspects reached Ryan School roundabout in Greater Noida in a car and offered him lift at 8:30am. “The suspects told me they were going towards Delhi. As I got in the vehicle, they overpowered me and snatched away my cellphone and debit card. They also tied a black band around my eyes and threatened to harm me if I raised an alarm,” Kataria said, adding that they also attacked him with a screwdriver when he put up resistance.

The suspects took away ₹1,200 from Kataria’s pocket, and also used his debit card to withdraw ₹20,000 from his bank account. They also damaged his cellphone and SIM card.

Kataria was held hostage in the moving car for almost one hour, and was later dumped in Sector Pi-1. With the help of a passerby, Kataria informed the police about the incident, and he was taken to a nearby private hospital.

Kataria’s son -- Abhishek Kataria -- said his father usually goes to office in a car, but he decided take the Metro on Thursday. “Unfortunately, he was robbed. He was waiting for an auto to reach the nearest metro station,” said Abhishek.

A case has been registered against the suspects under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 392 (robbery) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt). “A police team has launched a search and the suspects will be arrested soon,” said Vishal Pandey, additional deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida.

Meanwhile, the Noida traffic police on Wednesday launched a special verification drive for all cab drivers in the district. Ganesh Saha, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), has advised the people not to take lifts in random cabs, and always book cabs online -- following a valid process.