Delhi man runs behind phone snatchers; assaulted, kidnapped and rescued
The robbers disrobed him, tied him up with his clothes, and then forced him to inhale a substance that left him semi-conscious, then dumped him in the cavity of Yudhishthir Setu near Kashmere Gate
A 24-year-old man was assaulted, abducted, and dumped in the cavity of north Delhi’s Yudhishthir Setu near Kashmere Gate after he confronted three snatchers who stole his mobile phone, police officers aware of the case said on Sunday, adding that the victim was rescued and one of his assailants has been arrested.
Police said Raj, the victim, who goes by a single name, lives in Noida with his sister and her family, and is a gig operator with a bike taxi firm in the Capital. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on Sunday, when Raj dropped off a passenger near the Kashmere Gate Interstate Bus Terminal (ISBT), said investigators. Raj was seated on his parked motorcycle on the roadside and scrolling his phone when three men approached him and robbed him at knifepoint, said police officers.
“While the robbers fled the scene, Raj pursued them until they reached the Yudhishthir Setu loop and entered a cavity,” said Sagar Singh Kalsi, deputy commissioner of police (north).
A second police officer said the cavity is a series of 12-15-metre-long tunnels formed while laying the flyover pillars. “It’s a cavity similar to an isolated tunnel beneath the flyover. Drug users usually hide in that tunnel,” said the officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
The robbers assaulted Raj inside the cavity, disrobed him, tied him up with his clothes, and then forced him to inhale a substance that left him semi-conscious, said investigators. The assailants then found Raj’s sister’s number on his phone and called her at 1.45am, telling her to bring ₹2 lakh in cash and jewellery. “It was a spur-of-the-moment kidnapping for ransom,” the officer explained.
{{/usCountry}}The robbers assaulted Raj inside the cavity, disrobed him, tied him up with his clothes, and then forced him to inhale a substance that left him semi-conscious, said investigators. The assailants then found Raj’s sister’s number on his phone and called her at 1.45am, telling her to bring ₹2 lakh in cash and jewellery. “It was a spur-of-the-moment kidnapping for ransom,” the officer explained.
{{/usCountry}}The family called the police and then arrived at the Kashmere Gate police station with the ransom money.
{{/usCountry}}The family called the police and then arrived at the Kashmere Gate police station with the ransom money.
{{/usCountry}}“We assessed the situation after receiving the phone call from Raj’s family. When they arrived, we refused to let them enter the police station. Instead, we rushed out with the family to the ransom drop, some of us wearing civilian attire, while others in uniform followed us at a safe distance,” said the officer quoted anonymously above.
{{/usCountry}}“We assessed the situation after receiving the phone call from Raj’s family. When they arrived, we refused to let them enter the police station. Instead, we rushed out with the family to the ransom drop, some of us wearing civilian attire, while others in uniform followed us at a safe distance,” said the officer quoted anonymously above.
{{/usCountry}}The police eventually spotted a young man sitting on a motorcycle and making phone calls near where Raj’s sister was last required to drop the cash. According to the police, it was Raj’s motorcycle.
The man, Habis (known only by his first name), 29, was apprehended and questioned. Police discovered that a phone in his possession had the number of Raj’s sister in the dialled list, said investigators, adding that Habis attempted to mislead the police but eventually led them to the flyover loop where Raj was supposed to be kept.
Four hours later, a police officer heard low cries from one of the cavities and entered to find Raj semi-conscious. According to the police, Raj couldn’t even identify his family. “We rushed him to Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital, where he was treated,” the DCP said.
Police registered a kidnapping case for ransom, robbery, and other offences under the Indian Penal Code and formally arrested Habis. “Habis has five previous criminal cases against him,” said the DCP, adding that they are searching for his other associates.
“Doctors told us that the victim could have died if his rescue had taken any longer,” Kalsi added.
