Three passengers who booked an auto from Old Bus Stand to Farrukhnagar in Sahibabad allegedly robbed the auto driver of his cash, mobile phone and the vehicle after being forced to drink a cold drink laced with sedatives.

The incident took place around 1.30pm when Mohammad Anas( 20) was waiting for passengers at the Old Bus Stand. His brother Mohammad Sarfaraz said three men boarded the auto and asked Anas to take them to Farrukhnagar.

Anas is a resident of Masuri locality. “My brother first told the three men that he will charge Rs 500 for the entire journey. Finally, the three men booked the auto for Rs 400. During the journey, they bought a cold drink and later asked my brother to stop the auto near a forest area in Farrukhnagar. They mixed some sedative to the drink and asked my brother to consume it. When he denied, they pointed a gun at him and forcibly made him consume the drink. They then tied his hands and legs and fled with Rs 5000 cash, the auto and his mobile phone,” Sarfaraz added.

An unconscious Anas was reportedly later spotted by some locals who informed the police. The family said that he was then taken to the hospital where he was given medical aid before being sent home.

They said they will soon approach the police with a complaint.

“It seems like the work of a gang of robbers who use such kind of a modus operandi. There have been instances in the past where e-rickshaw drivers and cab drivers have been robbed. We will lodge an FIR as soon as we receive a complaint from the family and will ask our teams to investigate the matter,” Shlok Kumar, superintendent of police (city) said.

There have been many recent incidents where e-rickshaw drivers and cab drivers have been robbed by in a similar fashion by robbers posing as passengers.

First Published: May 05, 2019 15:28 IST