A 21-year-old student was allegedly abducted by a gang of three men who stripped him, tied him to a tree, and tortured him for two hours before stealing his clothes and valuables.
The incident took place at Sarjapura on Monday evening. The victim, Abhishek Pisharody, is the son of a Wing Commander in the Air Force, and currently studying at Azim Premji University.
Walking to stop
The incident occurred around 7.05 p.m. when Abhishek left the campus hostel and was walking to a bus stop on Sarjapura Road.
He had missed the university shuttle bus, and was heading out to meet friends for dinner, said the police.
In his statement to the police, Abhishek said that he was stopped by three men. One of them bumped into him, and picked up a fight.
“He tried to escape, but they overpowered him and dragged him to an isolated spot nearby,” said the police.
There, they stripped him, and took his phone, two smart watches, and his wallet.
When he tried to fight back, they allegedly tied him to a tree with his belt and assaulted him. “They gagged his mouth and branded him with molten plastic,” said the police.
They had set allegedly fire to plastic paper and used it to brand him.
He lost consciousness and woke up to find that he was still tied to the tree. The attackers had bound his hands with his belt and his legs with his jeans.
Refuge in building
The boy managed to escape and sought refuge at an under-construction building. A passer-by gave him his jacket and alerted the police.
A beat policeman later dropped him off at his hostel after which he was taken to a hospital in the area to treat his wounds. The following morning his father lodged a complaint with the Sarjapura police.
The police have registered a case of robbery, assault and criminal intimidation and efforts are on to track down the accused.