E-Paper
Truck driver fights off three robbers on WEH
Mumbai: In a sequence straight out of a Bollywood potboiler, a 23-year-old truck driver took on three robbers and nabbed one of them on Western Express Highway (WEH) on Sunday night
Mumbai: In a sequence straight out of a Bollywood potboiler, a 23-year-old truck driver took on three robbers and nabbed one of them on Western Express Highway (WEH) on Sunday night.
Tauqeer Khan, who drives a generator truck used for providing electricity to construction sites or film shoots, had gone to Ekvira Vidyalaya in Malad, where a web series was being shot. The incident happened when Khan was returning from Malad. Khan is a native of Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh and stays in Saki Naka.
“I left from Malad at around 6.30 pm and reached near Swad Hotel in Jogeshwari around 9 pm when three men on a scooter overtook me and blocked my way. Two of them leaned inside the truck, took out the keys and started assaulting me. I had ₹25,000 with me, which I had collected from the shoot location and was supposed to hand over to my employer. The trio snatched the amount out of my pocket,” Khan told HT.
Khan jumped off his seat and started fighting back. The trio tried to subdue him but Khan refused to back down. “At first, I thought they were angry because I made some mistake while driving, but by then I realised that they were robbers. I was not going to give up without a fight, so I grabbed one of them from behind,” Khan added.
Khan locked his arms around one of the robbers and dragged him back towards his truck. The other two escaped on their two-wheeler along with the money.
He refused to let go of the robber and they reached the opposite lane, struggling and kicking each other. Some motorists also rushed forward to help. They overpowered the robber and alerted a traffic police constable a short distance away.
Subsequently, Khan and the robber were taken for a medical check-up at a nearby clinic and then to Andheri police station, where the robber was arrested.
The robber has been identified as Nadeem Sheikh, 24, a resident of Meghwadi.
“We are trying to identify and apprehend the other two accused. The trio seem to have kept a watch on Khan’s truck for a few days before striking,” said an officer, Andheri police station.
Khan said, “Mumbaikars are known for looking out for each other. When I decided to fight back, I knew that someone or the other would come to my aid.”
