Pizza robberies rising in Gurgaon, go unreported because of 'non-valuable' loot

Picture this – a couple of armed robbers with their faces covered attack a biker on a desolate road and steal the ‘goods’ in his possession. Before the hapless victim can raise an alarm, the robbers have made a quick getaway on their bike. This sounds like just another robbery or snatching incident in Gurgaon. What makes it different is that the victim here is a food deliveryman and the ‘valuables’ stolen are pizzas (or in some cases, other food items). Welcome to the crazy world of pizza robbery in Gurgaon. Last week, three teenagers assaulted a food delivery guy in Gurgaon’s New Colony area, taking away the food he was carrying and also his bike. While the robbers were later arrested, delivery boys in the Millennium City tell us that this is not a one-off. The worst hit are pizza deliverymen, many of whom reveal that they are often called to desolate and remote spots for delivery and robbed, but only of pizzas.
Gurgaon isn’t the first city where deliverymen have to deal with pizza robbers. Noida had its spate of pizza robberies in 2017. A gang was arrested in Delhi last year whose modus operandi was scheduling pizza delivery at secluded locations and then robbing the deliverymen of pizzas as well as other valuables. Most deliverymen in Gurgaon now have at least one story to narrate about a pizza robbery, a trend which began here not more than a year ago.


Delivery boys of other food don’t face robbers as often as we do: Pizza boys
Shankar*, a pizza delivery boy who works near Galleria Market, tells us, “There was a case in December when we got a call for a delivery at a secluded bylane near Golf Course Road. When the delivery boy reached there, he was attacked by two people wearing bike helmets who stole the pizzas.” But what makes pizza such a favourite of these robbers? Why don’t they take the risk of going on the wrong side of the law for, say, Chinese or Mughlai cuisine? To this, the deliverymen have no answer. “Other deliverymen of food apps and restaurants don’t face this as often as we do. Shayad wahan logon ko lagta hai ki sab online hai toh trace aaraam se ho jayega. Yahan phone se orders hote hain. We don’t know the actual reason,” says a deliveryman with Pizza Hut.

Pizza chor! Theatre actors Jaswinder and Rahul pose for us as pizza robbers

How much pizza is stolen every month?
While there are no official figures for how many pizzas are stolen in Gurgaon every month, deliverymen estimate the number to be over 25-30 incidents easily. Ratan*, a deliveryman with Pizza Hut, says, “Hum logon ko sunne mein aata hai har hafte at least ek incident ka. Kabhi kabhi toh do-teen bhi ho jaati hain.” Deliverymen tell us that the robbers don’t just take the pizzas they ordered, but all the pizzas being carried, which means one robbery yields a haul of at least five-six boxes. The deliverymen add that in almost all such cases, even though the robbers are usually armed with a knife or a small weapon, they appear not to be regular career criminals. “Although we can’t see their face, but you can tell that these are young, educated people. Baat karne ke tareeke se samajh aata hai ki ladke hain jo bas free pizza chahte hain,” says Shiv*, who was robbed last October near Golf Course Extension Road.


‘Pizza robbery not serious enough for F.I.R’
What makes these incidents slip under the police radar is that most of them are never reported. Deliverymen say that most of these repeat incidents are termed ‘not so serious’ by the management since the supposed robbers escape only with pizzas and no cash or valuables. Amit*, who delivers for Dominos Pizza, recounts an incident, “This happened during the winter. I went to deliver pizza for an order near Ghata and there were two boys with their faces covered. Jab tak main kuch samajh paata, they snatched the pizzas and ran off. I told my manager and he said there was no need for an FIR because pizza ke liye kya complaint karna.”


Many involved in the management of pizza joints tell us that they term these “stray incidents” as collateral damage. “The incidents aren’t that common to begin with and we don’t always go to the police because it’s a minor loss. Of course, if any of our deliverymen is harmed or valuables are stolen, we will take official action,” says an outlet manager with Dominos Pizza in the city on the condition of anonymity.


By not reporting such incidents, robbers are being encouraged: Gurugram Police
However, police officials say that they are trying to make desolate, robbery-prone stretches safer. Subhash Bokan, Gurugram Police spokesperson, tells us, “We haven’t received many complaints of this nature so I can’t say if a trend like this exists. But we understand that at times, food delivery guys can be vulnerable, particularly in remote areas, and we try to make it safe for them through patrolling and police presence in such areas.” Police officials also say that the deliverymen should report all such cases, regardless of how small they might seem. “By not reporting these incidents, we are encouraging the robbers to commit more crimes. That should be stopped,” says a senior police official.
*Names changed on request