The Central police arrested five members of the transgender community near High Court Junction in the early hours of Friday on the charge of dacoity after they allegedly tried to rob an online cab driver of his valuables.
The incident occurred when the Aluva-based driver had received a trip on his mobile phone around 2.30 a.m. According to the police, as he was attending the call, a group of people approached the car and started banging on it.
As he rolled down the window pane, they pulled him by the collar and tried to snatch the mobile phone and money from his pocket, the police said. The scared driver sped away from the scene and alerted a police team, which was passing by.
The team comprising circle inspector Ananthalal, sub-inspector Aby, and women civil police officers arrested the accused who were then slapped with IPC Section 395 (dacoity).
In a release issued here, Assistant Commissioner of Police K. Laljy claimed there were widespread complaints about the accused. The police are also investigating a complaint filed by St. Vincent Road Residents’ Association with Inspector General of Police P. Vijayan about problems caused by the transgender community in the area, the release said.