4 miscreants in auto looted artist’s mobile
Bhopal: Criminal activity in the capital is continuing unabated, even in high-security VVIP areas. On Wednesday night, four individuals in an auto rickshaw looted a stage artist in the 74 Bungalow area. The assailants fled after snatching the victim’s mobile phone and ?300. Prior to the incident, they had deceived the artist into getting into their auto under the pretense of giving him a ride to Ravindra Bhavan. Meanwhile, no leads have emerged regarding the suspects involved in a separate mobile theft that occurred in the Chunabhatti area just a day earlier. The Bhopal Police are facing challenges in maintaining law and order, with nine robbery incidents reported in the last 21 days.
According to reports, Narendra Singh Rajput, a 56-year-old stage artist residing in Nayak House, Professor Colony, went to Sharma Bhojanalaya at Jawahar Chowk for dinner on Wednesday night. After finishing his meal, he walked to the Jawahar Chowk intersection around 11:30 PM.
An auto rickshaw approached from Depot Square and stopped nearby. When Narendra inquired about the fare to Ravindra Bhawan, the driver quoted ?30. The auto had one young man sitting next to the driver and two others in the back.
After boarding the auto, they traveled via Roshanpura Square. The driver then diverted towards Nanke Petrol Pump, leading Narendra to believe they were stopping for fuel. However, when they passed Nanke, the driver claimed he needed to drop off another passenger first. The auto eventually stopped near Hanuman Temple at 74 Bungalow, where two young men exited and went to the restroom, presumably to plan the robbery.
The auto halted in front of Bungalow No. D-7, where the four individuals forcibly pulled Narendra out and snatched his mobile phone, ?300 in cash, Aadhar card, SBI ATM card, and other personal documents before fleeing the scene. The police reviewed nearby CCTV footage, confirming the auto was CNG-powered, but have yet to identify its number.
Deputy collector was robbed in similar manner
A similar incident had previously occurred involving a Deputy Collector. Yashveer Singh Tomar, the Deputy Collector in charge of Sheopur, was in Bhopal on August 7 for official duties. Around 5:15 AM, while waiting for transportation on Hamidia Road, he was approached by a young man who inquired about his destination and the number of people with him. Believing the individual to be an auto driver, Tomar replied that he was alone and needed to go to Vallabh Bhawan. The assailant then snatched Tomar’s purse and bag, pushing him aside before fleeing with his Aadhar card, driving license, Samagra ID, PAN card, two ATM cards, a SIM card, and ?5,500 in cash.
