A software engineer was allegedly abducted and robbed by four armed men in a car that was masquerading as a taxi. However, the victim, Anshuman Singh, showed considerable presence of mind and managed to save his gold and emerald ring, and hide his debit card. The gang was able to get their hands on ₹1,500 and a pair of sunglasses.
On Monday night, Anshuman was looking for an auto-rickshaw at Hebbagodi to take him to his house in Bommasandra. A car pulled up in front of him and the driver offered to drop him home. There were three men inside.
When the car started moving, the person who was seated next to the driver pulled his seat back to trap Anshuman while the other two pulled out a bat and allegedly assaulted him. They demanded his wallet.
"I had two ATM cards. One had no money while the other was for my salary account,” he told The Hindu . Before handing over his wallet, he dropped the card of his salary account in the car. The gangsters took him to an ATM in Yadavanahalli, but when they accessed his bank account, they realised there was no money. They drove to another ATM kiosk at Neraluru on Hosur Road, but came back empty-handed.
“They asked me when my salary was credited into my account. I told them on the fifth of every month,” said Anshuman.
When they tried to take his ring, he told them that it had a spiritual link with his deity, and forcibly taking it from him would have negative repercussions. The men then took his sunglasses and the cash in his wallet before dumping him in an isolated area.
Badly bruised and beaten, Anshuman called his brother for help. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. "Though I was brutally assaulted and suffered for over one-and-a-half hours, I managed to save my gold ring and salary,” he said.
One of the ATMs did not have a security guard or CCTV cameras, said a police officer.
The first week of every month sees a spike in crime, as this is the time salaries are credited into accounts.
Businessman robbed
In another incident, a 30-year-old businessman was abducted and robbed by three men near Kudlu Gate on Hosur Road earlier this week. In this case too, the victim, Vinod Kumar, was offered a lift by a driver. When he got into the car, the man threatened him with a knife. He was blindfolded and divested of gold jewellery worth ₹1.7 lakh and ₹7,000.
