Car looted on gunpoint: Would have been shot dead had I resisted robbers, says chef
Five robbers fled with victim’s car near Shalimar Mall late Tuesday night, chef questions lack of police patrol in the area
Two months ago in December, Anil Kumar, resident of Sector 41, Chandigarh, bought Maruti Dzire on monthly instalment as he thought this would ensure safe commute to his workplace in Panchkula’s Morni hills where he works as a chef in a resort.
But Tuesday night’s carjacking has put 40-year-old in a state of deep shock. His car was snatched from him on gun point near Shalimar Mall. He was returning home after finishing work.
“It was a life threatening experience. They would have shot me had I resisted even for a moment in not handing them car keys,” said Anil. Anil said he bought the car on his family’s persistence because he often gets late from work due to late functions at his workplace. “Being a chef I have to stay till function is not over,” he added.
He said since there was a function in his resort, he finished the work at 1am on Tuesday night and headed home in his car.
“I can reach Chandigarh through highway route too but I often take internal route from Panchkula to reach home as I feel city’s internal roads are safer at night. But I was wrong,” he said.
He said the moment he touched road leading to Shalimar Mall from Bella Vista hotel on Sector 6 and 2 roundabout, he was suddenly hit by a speeding i20 Hyundai car from the rear side. “My first reaction was that a drunken driver hit me. I immediately stepped out of my vehicle without realising that something bad was waiting for me,” he said.
He said two men disembarked from i20 and directed gun towards him. The vehicle, said Anil, had three more persons. “Give me keys or face bullet,” said one of them. Anil said he was shocked and gave them the keys. Moments later, they ran away in his car that also had his two laptops and a mobile phone.
Knowing that victim’s mobile could be danger in finding their locations, they threw it 100 yards from the incident and it was recovered by police.
‘No PCR in posh area’
Anil said when the incident happened, there was no PCR in the area despite Haryana police headquarter being around 500 metres away. Sector 6, he said, has houses of all top bureaucrats and judges. “Since I could not contact anyone immediately as my phone was in the car, I was lucky to get a lift from a biker who was passing from the road,” he added. “I was then dropped in front of the Sector-5 police station where I reported the matter,” said Anil.
He said while he has been restless ever since the incident and his mother and wife are in a greater shock than him. “They are asking me to leave this job as it is too far away. I have not planned anything yet,” said Anil.
No breakthrough yet
It has emerged that police hasn’t got any leads in the case. The crime branch checked the area but there is no clue so far of the people involved in the crime.