A private bus driver and a conductor have been arrested for allegedly robbing a group of workers who were travelling in the vehicle, the police said on Saturday. After looting them, the accused forced the workers to deboard.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) Chinmoy Biswal said that the accused have been identified as Jitender Singh (34) and Amit (24). The robbed booty has been recovered and the bus seized, Mr. Biswal said.

The police said that around 7 a.m. on Friday, a group of workers reported to officers at Sarai Kale Khan bus stand that they had been robbed of their money by the driver and the conductor of a bus, which they had boarded from Anand Vihar. “The seven workers said that they had come to Delhi from Bihar for the first time in search of work. They reached Anand Vihar railway station and boarded the bus to go to Najafgarh,” Mr. Biswal said.

When the bus reached Yamuna Bridge, the conductor allegedly locked the doors and threatened the victims, asking them to part with their belongings. “After the loot, all the seven passengers were forced to deboard near Sarai Kale Khan flyover,” the DCP said.

Based on the workers’ complaint, a case under IPC Sections 392 (punishment for robbery) and 34 (common intention) was registered at Sunlight Colony police station and a probe was started. The team also questioned several drivers and conductors at Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar bus stands. With the help of human intelligence, the accused were arrested in the next two hours, the police said, adding that ₹4,000 — the amount which was looted from the victims — was recovered from the culprits.

During interrogation, the accused told the police that they drive a private bus from Anand Vihar to Noida and it belongs to a transport company. “They said that they were addicted to alcohol and in order to meet their needs, they had planned to rob passengers who would arrive at Anand Vihar Terminal from other States,” Mr. Biswal said.