Man goes on date with girl he met on Facebook, gets robbed

The police have arrested three attackers, and are on a lookout for the other three.

A 28-year-old’s date with a girl he befriended on Facebook turned out to be a nightmare for him. The man was trapped in a dacoity bid laid by six men, who allegedly assaulted him, and then looted his valuables worth Rs5.92 lakh.

The victim had to be rushed to a hospital, where he was treated for his injuries. (HT/File)

The property cell of the Mumbai crime branch has arrested three accused on Saturday in connection with the case and is on the lookout for the remaining three. The arrested trio are identified as Zuber Salim Khan 19, Shahbaz Sharif Shaikh 18 and Salman Shaikh 27. While the first two are residents of Deonar, Salman resides in Gowandi’s Shivaji Nagar. The three have been handed over to the Deonar police station for further investigation and will be produced before a magistrate on Sunday.

An officer attached to the Crime Branch said the victim came across a girl on Facebook few months ago. After chatting for several days, the girl insisted to meet the victim, and the two decided to go on a date in Govandi on January 16.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. He approached the police only after a few days. Senior inspector Dattatrey Shinde of Deonar police station said on the basis of the complaint, a case was registered on January 30, under section 395 (dacoity), 397 (Robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code and 66-D (impersonation using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act.

Looking at the serious nature of the crime, the Property Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch began a parallel probe and succeeded in nabbing three of the six accused.

The police have also traced the girl who turned out to be a minor and also questioned her to find out if she too had any role to play in the crime or if the accused merely used her mobile phone and number to lure the victim. The police are also trying to find out if the accused have used the similar modus to rob others.