PWD staffer drugged on ST bus, robbed

VADODARA: A public works department employee from Khedbrahma in Sabarkantha was allegedly drugged and robbed of his ornaments worth almost Rs 2 lakh by an unidentified man in a state transport (ST) bus near Karjan on February 9.
The victim Malji Rathod came forward with a complaint on Wednesday when he learnt through news channel that the accused was arrested by detection of crime branch (DCB) of Rajkot police.

Rathod had boarded state transport bus from Surat for home on February 7 night after attending a wedding of a relative. The accused sat beside him in the bus and introduced himself as friend of Rathod’s brother-in-law. The accused, who was wearing a khakhi dress, told Rathod that he was in police force and was on duty when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reached Dharoi dam through a sea plane. The duo conversed for quite a long due to which Rathod started to trust him.

Around midnight, the bus stopped at a highway hotel for a break where Rathod and the accused had tea together. Later in the bus, the accused offered a biscuit, suspected to be spiked with drugs, to Rathod which he refused but on insistence Rathod ate the biscuits. He told the police that he does not remember what happened after that and when he woke up he found himself in the same bus which had reached Ambaji. However, the he was still under the influence of the drug due to which he could not even take out his phone and call somebody from his family.

A bus conductor seeing Rathod’s health called Rathod’s brother who took him to a hospital at Khedbrahma. After 48 hours when he regained consciousness, he found that his gold chain and bracelet worth Rs 1.8 lakh were missing. He did not approach the police then. Recently, when the accused was nabbed by Rajkot police and Rathod saw that on news channel, he gave his complaint at Karjan police station.

Karjan police said that they will arrest the accused once they get his custody through a transfer warrant.