JOIN USThree men of a gang have been arrested for involvement in robbing autorickshaw passengers after sedating them, police said on Saturday.
Irfan Khan of Mustafabad, Wahid Khan of Maujpur, and Sanjay Ram of Wazirabad, all aged around 30, were held for two cases lodged at Hazrat Nizamuddin police station.
“In the recent past, several theft-after-sedation cases were reported in which two to three persons offered lift in autorickshaws to victims and gave them sedatives-laced cold drinks or juices. They were later dumped at secluded roads without their bags and other valuables,” said Ajay Chaudhry, additional commissioner of police (south-east).
Rahul Ashok Mahajan from Maharastra had reported a similar incident on June 7. He told cops that he took an autorickshaw from Hazrat Nizzamuddin railway station for Dhaula Kuan in which two passenger were already sitting.
When they reached near Dhaula Kuan, one of the passengers offered him juice and after drinking it, he lost consciousness. “He gained consciousness after two days and found that all his valuables were missing,” Chaudhry added.
Second incident
Trilokpuri resident Ram Narayan Paswan, an autorickshaw driver, was robbed on May 21. He had lost consciousness after drinking juice offered by two of his passengers from Kashmeri Gate ISBT.
“He gained consciousness after a day and found his autorickshaw and cash missing,” Chaudhry said.
After an initial investigation, police suspected that members of ‘Zahar-Khurani’ gang headed by Irfan might be involved. Then Irfan along with Wahid and Sanjay were held at Hazrat Nizzamuddin railway station after a tip-off on Friday.
It was found that Irfan has four members in his gang and he along with his accomplices had been operating in Delhi and national capital region.
“They targeted people who were going to ISBT or railway stations and carried travelling bags or suitcases. One of the gang members used to sit on the driver seat of the autorickshaw whereas two members in the disguise of passengers used to sit on the rear seat,” Chaudhry added.
They used to offer lifts on the cheapest rates. Once the autorickshaw started moving, one of them would ask the driver to stop for cold drinks or water.
“One of them would get down and purchase a bottle of soft drink, juice or water and two or three plastic glasses. They would then mix 8 to 10 sedative tablets and offer it to the victims. As soon as the victim fell unconscious, they used to take away all his valuables and dump him at a secluded road,” Chaudhry said.
If any passenger refused the drink, the gang used to force him or her to breathe through a sedative-laced handkerchief.