Delhi police arrested two involved in auto-rickshaw robberies

An autorickshaw driver and his accomplice were arrested for allegedly robbing passengers after choking them unconscious in a moving vehicle, police said Friday. The accused, identified as Raja (27) and Sonu (34), operated from the Old Delhi Railway Station, where they would pick up lone passengers in autorickshaws, often with one or two accomplices posing as commuters.

"Once the auto reached a relatively isolated stretch, the assailants would suddenly overpower the passenger by grabbing and choking him until he lost consciousness. The victim would then be looted of all belongings and dumped on the roadside," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said.

The case that led to their arrest was registered on May 10, when Ranjit Kumar, a resident of Lal Bagh in Azadpur, reported that he had been assaulted and robbed in a similar manner around 4:45 am while travelling from Old Delhi Railway Station to Azadpur.

According to the FIR, the men sitting in the back of the auto attacked him, choked him unconscious and fled with his mobile phone, wallet, documents, and travel bag after throwing him out of the moving vehicle.

Based on Kumar's complaint, an e-FIR was registered and an investigation was launched.

"The breakthrough came after examining footage from over 100 CCTV cameras along the suspected route. Police identified the culprits as Raja, a repeat offender from Welcome Colony and Sonu, a known criminal from Loni in Ghaziabad. Both had multiple prior cases against them, including robbery and snatching," said the DCP.

On May 14, Raja and Sonu were apprehended from Loni after raids.

Raja, who committed the crimes in an auto given to him by his sister, had another accomplice named Deepak, alias Totla, and targeted railway passengers regularly.

The police also recovered the auto used in the crime and a mobile phone linked to another robbery near Geeta Colony Flyover. That incident was reported at the Kotwali Police Station on May 15, linking the suspects to yet another robbery.

"The accused have a long criminal history. Raja has 14 previous cases and Sonu has 11, registered across multiple police stations in Delhi. Teams are hunting for the third accused, Deepak," the DCP said, adding that further investigation is underway.