A woman, who works as a business analyst with a private company in the city, was pulled into a car from Iffco Chowk by four men on Thursday night, beaten and robbed of her gold ring when they realised her bank account had no money, police said Sunday.

The victim, a Delhi resident, was driven around for about two hours during which time they tried to withdraw money using her ATM card, before being let off—a modus operandi typical of the lift-and-loot gangs.

“It seems like the same type of gang (which offers shared rides), but it is too early to say whether it is the same gang or not,” Gurugram Police public relations officer Subhash Boken said.

It must be noted that at least 14 such cases have been reported in Gurugram since the beginning of this year, and 15 more were reported in the last two months of 2018, but this is the first in which a woman has been targeted.

“The victim, an engineer in her late twenties, was abducted on Thursday night and then left off near Jharsa Chowk,” Boken said. The victim, after being let off, called her family in early hours of Friday and then the police.

“She was waiting at Iffco Chowk around 9pm and was about to book a cab to go home when a cab pulled over. They showed her a piece of paper and asked if she knew the address. As she took the chit, they pulled her into the car,” a friend of the victim, who did not wish to be identified, said, adding that the victim was left off around 11.45pm.

The friend, who is also in the same company where the victim works, told HT that the victim suffered a minor injury on her face from being beaten by the suspects.

According to the police, the victim’s friends filed an abduction case after “one of them” got a call from the victim and they overheard snatches of a conversation that led them to believe that the woman had been
abduction and needed “police assistance”.

An FIR was registered at Sector 18 police station against unknown persons under section 365 (abduction) of the Indian Penal Code. Boken said that as on Sunday the police had not filed another FIR or evoked any other sections of the IPC. They would add other sections in the course of the investigation, if found necessary, Boken said.

Gurugram’s roads and especially the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway have become unsafe for commuters with gangs that offer shared rides and then rob people, operating in the area.

“Such gang or gangs are active and I have taken notice. I have pulled up my staff and put the crime teams (crime investigation agencies) to investigate such cases. I have also asked the DCP east and DCP west to depute force and increased night patrol, especially from 6pm to 12am,” police commissioner Mohammad Akil said, adding that they were investigating all such and that the culprits would be arrested soon.

As on Sunday evening, the police were yet to identify any of the suspects or make arrests

First Published: Mar 04, 2019 04:11 IST