Lift-and-loot gang rob man of ₹100 when he confesses to an empty bank account

Four unidentified men allegedly robbed cash and documents from the employee of a private company after offering him a lift to Delhi. The police said the victim—identified

Four unidentified men allegedly robbed cash and documents from the employee of a private company after offering him a lift to Delhi. The police said the victim—identified as Santosh Kumar, a native of Bihar who works with a private company in the city—was driven around for half-an-hour and dropped a few metres away from where he was picked up.

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The incident took place when the victim, a resident of Dwarka, was waiting for a cab near Iffco Chowk on Sunday morning, after his shift. The police said a car, in which four men were seated, stopped near Iffco Chowk and offered him a lift.

A police officer privy to the investigation, requesting anonymity, said that after driving for a few metres, the suspects allegedly snatched Kumar’s wallet, which had his identification documents, ATM card and ₹100 cash.

“They manhandled him and asked him for the PIN to his ATM card. Since the victim said his bank account did not have any money. They took the ₹100 cash and his documents and dropped him off,” the police officer said, adding that teams using footage from CCTVs in the area to identify the suspects. The police said it was not certain if the suspects were carrying a weapon.

The police said the modus operandi suggests that accused belong to a gang that targets commuters at Subhash Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and Iffco Chowk on the highway and loots them on the pretext of offering them a lift.

In a similar case on September 7, the police had booked four men for allegedly robbing ₹42,000 cash and jewellery from a man after offering him a lift to Delhi in a cab from near Rajiv Chowk. The victim, a resident of Sector 82, was driven around for half-an-hour and let go at Iffco Chowk.