Posing as customers, armed men rob two bike taxi riders

Armed men posing as customers robbed two riders of a bike taxi service at knifepoint in Parappana Agrahara in separate incidents in the early hours of Sunday.

Amal Singh (27), who went to drop a customer at Kudlu, got a message on his mobile that there is one more pick up around 2.45 am. He rode just a few yards when three men confronted him. As soon as he reached the designated spot, the accused attacked him with a knife and robbed his two mobile phones, wallet containing credit and debit cards, copies of Aadhar and PAN card and cash of Rs 200 and his jacket.

The accused further took Amal to an isolated place, make him call his friends and transfer money to their account online. Amal told his friends to transfer Rs 9,656, following which the accused left him and fled.

Amal then managed to reach St John’s hospital to get treatment for his stab injuries and filed a complaint later.

In a similar incident, Dhaneshwar Bey (37) was also robbed by three armed men near Kudlu Gate around 12.30 am. Bey had reached the spot shown in the map to pick up the next customer, not knowing that the accused had booked the bike taxi. Upon reaching the destination, a man walked up to him, slashed his neck with a knife and took away his two mobile phones, power bank and wallet with credit and debit cards and Rs 1,200 cash.

The accused then made Bey to take him to an isolated spot where two of his associates lay waited. The men thrashed Bey asking for his ATM card’s PIN number. Afraid of losing his life, Bey revealed the PIN following which one of the accused took the ATM card and withdrew Rs 500.

The men also asked Bey to transfer money through Google Pay. Bey had to oblige and send Rs 160. Wanting more money, the accused continued to torture Bey and repeatedly slashed his thigh.

Unable to bear it any more, Bey escaped from the men, jumped over a compound and hid inside. The accused chased him but went away after a stray dogs barked at them, Bey said in his complaint. Ensuring the men had gone; Bey met a team of police patrolling the area, who took him to a private hospital. They later obtained a complaint from him.

The Parappana Agrahara police suspect that the same gang is involved in both the incidents.