Cab driver kidnaps loco pilot, robs him

A 33-year-old loco pilot was abducted by a cab driver and his friend when he boarded the cab at the Kempegowda International Airport in the early hours of Tuesday.

The loco pilot’s relative Akshay Kumar lodged a complaint with the Mahadevapura police against the unknown duo. The police said Bihar native Sonu Kumar Singh, who resides at A Narayanapura near Mahadevapura, works as a loco pilot with the railways.

Kumar told the police that Singh arrived at KIA around 1.30 am and hired the cab to his residence. The cab driver stopped a few kilometers away from the airport to pick up his friend. They asked Singh to pay Rs 2 lakhs to get released unhurt. They also threatened to kill him if he did not pay up.

Driving towards Tumakuru Road, they forced Singh to transfer Rs 1 lakh through mobile banking in two transactions, while also using his debit card to withdraw
Rs 40,000. They continued to drive Singh around demanding more money.

The police said Singh broke free from the abductors near Kadur in Chikkamagaluru district in the evening on the same day. He called Akshay to narrate his ordeal and report the kidnap and extortion.

Singh told the police that the duo threatened him at knifepoint and robbed his money, luggage and mobile phones worth Rs 1.8 lakh. He reached Bengaluru from Kadur in the early hours of Wednesday. An investigating officer said they have important clues on the duo, and they will be arrested soon.