Gang fakes accident in Jayanagar, robs auditor

Amid peak-hour bustle, they force him to drive to two ATMs and take away money from his wallet

A 66-year-old auditor was robbed with the help of a scripted accident drama in Jayanagar late last week.

R Ravichandran was
heading to work when he was stopped by two bike-borne men on the stretch between Ashoka Pillar and Lalbagh South gate.

They claimed they were hit by Ravi’s car and one of them sat on the footpath and started wailing.

This is the second time that Ravi has been a victim of a scripted accident drama. The earlier incident took place a year ago, he says.

Narrating his ordeal to Metrolife, Ravi said while one of them pretended to be in pain, the other knocked on the car window, and asked for water.

He then got into the car and forced Ravi to drive towards Jayanagar, telling him that the treatment of his friend would cost Rs 3 to 4 lakh.

“When I said I didn’t have so much money in hand, he said I could pay him Rs 50,000 in cash,” says Ravi. The man kept saying Ravi had knocked down a notorious rowdy, and his men would soon turn up to settle scores.

The man then forced Ravi to drive to an ATM opposite Westside, in Jayanagar 2nd Block. “He took my debit card and wanted to check the balance but the balance showed just Rs 5,900. There was no cash in that machine. But another man, already standing in the ATM, told me that I could GPay him and that he would hand over the money to the man accompanying me,” he says.

The man then got Ravi to drive to another ATM and asked him to try and draw cash.

“He took the card and inserted it to check the balance and he typed Rs 70,000. It was declined and showed insufficient funds. He again typed Rs 5,000 which was all that was left in the account. He withdrew that amount leaving just Rs 900 behind,” he says.

The man later asked Ravi how much money he was carrying. “I had about Rs 1,950. He handed me Rs 150 of my money, and left with the rest. I lost Rs 6,800 that morning,” says Ravi.

The men who accosted Ravi were in their early 20s and spoke in Kannada. “The man who got into my car kept telling me the family of his injured friend would come after me and break my bones. I was terrified, but I mustered enough courage to keep going,” he says. Fearing the man was armed, Ravi didn’t try to resist. Later that evening, he registered a complaint at the Siddapura police station.

Ravi’s wife Geetha is still in shock. “I can’t imagine something like this happening on such a busy stretch in broad daylight. It is only his presence of mind that saved him.”

They target office-goers driving cars

Mohan Murali M, sub inspector, Siddapura police station, who is investigating the case, says similar incidents have been reported across the city. “The gang members are between 23 and 30 years old. In this particular incident, they chose locations where there are no CCTV cameras,” he told Metrolife. The gang targets office-goers driving to work. “We have drawn a sketch of the accused and written to the banks to give us CCTV footage from the ATMs,” he says.

Call 100 or 112 immediately

Harish Pandey, DCP south zone, says such gangs make it difficult for their victims to seek help, even if the police are around. “They take you to ATMs and if you don’t have money, they force you to ask relatives and friends. Their motive is to make away with as much cash as they can,” he says. A gang of four, with a history of similar offences, was caught six months ago on NICE Road. “We retrieved Rs 2 lakh from them,” he says. His advice: call 112 or 100, police control room numbers that are integrated. Even a missed call will get the Hoysala to the scene. “A software helps track the location of crime or accident and the Hoysalas are rushed to the spot in less than seven minutes. In fact, 112 is connected to all 275 Hoysalas across 130 police stations in eight zones,” he adds.