Two arrested for beating and robbing cab driver in Mumbai

A man working as a driver with an app-based cab service was attacked and robbed of cash and a mobile phone by two individuals on Wednesday. The duo has been arrested by the Mumbra police.

The accused Shanu Totla, 25, and Mohammed Abdul Kalam Shaikh, 20, are both residents of Mumbra who work as daily wage labourers.

On Wednesday, the cab driver had dropped a customer at Mumbra and was standing near a tea stall when he was approached by the two men. They requested the driver to take them to Mumbai claiming they had a sick person with them.

“The duo then sat in the cab and asked the driver to drive to an isolated location. The accused then pulled out a knife and threatened the driver. Shaikh forcibly took the driver’s mobile phone (worth ₹15,000). They later abused and threatened to kill the driver if he did not hand over his money to them. The driver gave the robbers ₹5,000 which he had,” said a police officer from the Mumbra police station.

The driver told the police that he was also beaten up by the men. After taking the money the accused allegedly fled from the spot.

“We arrested the accused the same night and recovered the mobile phone and money from them. We also found a sharp weapon on them. They were produced in court after which they were remanded in police custody,” said the officer.