Two of Sonu Punjaban gang held for swindling spa customers in NCR

Noida; Two members of gangster Sonu Punjaban’s gang were nabbed by the Noida police Monday morning for allegedly duping and robbing people on the pretext of providing

Noida; Two members of gangster Sonu Punjaban’s gang were nabbed by the Noida police Monday morning for allegedly duping and robbing people on the pretext of providing them spa services.

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The suspects were identified as Sanjay Bhatia (32) and Arjun (22), both residents of Delhi. Police said Sanjay is a distant cousin of pimp Sonu Punjaban, aka Geeta Arora, who was first arrested in 2007 in Delhi for human trafficking and running a major call girl racket.

According to Noida police, the suspects would allegedly lure customers on the pretext of providing women for spa services at home.

“They would take the women with them in a car and meet prospective clients at a pre-decided location, where they would take the money from them in advance through e-wallets. Then they would demand an additional amount for a security charge. If the victims refused, they would assault them and take the money or their valuables forcefully and then flee the spot,” said Anil Kumar, station house officer, Sector 58 police station.

He said most victims do not inform the authorities about these incidents but one Noida-based man had filed an FIR at the Sector 58 police station on Sunday after he was robbed of ₹3,000 in cash in a similar manner on September 2. He had alleged that the suspects had also taken ₹5,500 from him via an online transaction. A case under sections 420, 392 and 504 was registered against the suspects.

“They were nabbed around 3am from near the small D-park where they were travelling in a Santro car, which was then seized. Two phones used in the case and the stolen money were also recovered. They confessed to the crime and we also have the transaction history of the e-wallet,” said the SHO.

Police said Punjaban was convicted and is currently serving time in Delhi’s Tihar jail and the majority of the operation was being run allegedly by Bhatia in Delhi-NCR. Police have identified 23 cases against him.

“We are now on the lookout for the women who were helping them and other members of the gang working in this area,” said Kumar.

Police added that Bhatia would allegedly take a majority of the money retrieved from customers who suspect them to be involved in several more cases.