3 arrested for robbing Canadian pilot at IGIA

The pilot, Mohammad Mehdi Ghazanfani, a Canadian national, was the fourth victim.

Three men were arrested on charges of holding a 60-year-old pilot captive in a cab, and robbing him. Police said the crime was reported on July 13.

Three people were arrested for robbing Canadian pilot at IGI Airport. (Hindustan Times)

Police said the three arrested men were in UP Police custody since July 16 after they were caught in an encounter. Police identified the three as Mehraj Salmani, 31, Asif,22, and Farman,22, all from UP’s Meerut. The fourth man is on the run, police said.

Police said the men had committed three similar robberies – two near the airport and another in Ghaziabad – in 11 days. The pilot, Mohammad Mehdi Ghazanfani, a Canadian national, was the fourth victim.

The gang posed as a private taxi driver and passengers and lured their targets by offering them rides.

Around 12.30am on July 13, Ghazanfani was waiting for his company cab when the robbers offered him a ride for ₹100.

Ghazanfani said the men forced him to hand over his debit cards and reveal PIN numbers. They withdrew money using his cards. They also took ₹12,000 from his wallet before dropping him at Mahipalpur flyover, police said.

DCP (IGI Airport) Sanjay Bhatia said investigators searched for a white Swift Dzire taxi using the last four digits of the registration number shared by Ghazanfani. “We found 12 vehicles. They were verified and it was confirmed that the suspects had used fake number plates,” Bhatia said.

Police collected the dump data of phones active near the place from where the pilot was picked up and the ATM. One suspicious number belonged to Salmani, who had a criminal record. We raided his hideouts and learnt that he and two others were arrested by the UP Police.