Delhi Police busts bus robbery gang; three arrested

New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) The Delhi Police has busted a gang that used a private bus to lure and rob commuters in central Delhi, arresting three men, officials said on Thursday.

The officials said the gang had been operating for the past few days near Anand Vihar Railway Station and the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), offering passengers unusually cheap fares. After commuters boarded the bus, the accused would rob them during transit and abandon them at isolated locations around Rajghat and adjoining areas under the IP Estate.

Acting on specific inputs, police intensified patrolling in vulnerable stretches.

"During early morning patrolling on January 4, personnel noticed a suspicious private bus near Rajghat and alerted senior officers. A team was quickly formed and the bus was intercepted at a crossing in the area," the officials said.

The officials added that passengers inside the bus appeared visibly relieved after police intervention. They told officers that they had been robbed while the bus was in motion.

Three accused, identified as Yogesh, Arshad and Premshankar alias Ajay, were apprehended from the spot. Police recovered some of the stolen cash and seized the bus used in the crime, the officials said.

Based on the complaint of one of the victims, a case has been registered. The accused followed a fixed method, offering a flat fare of Rs 30 irrespective of the distance to attract passengers.

Once the bus was moving, they took the Delhi-Meerut Expressway route, threatened and assaulted commuters and robbed them before dropping them at secluded locations one by one, they said.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain whether the gang was involved in similar incidents elsewhere, they added. PTI BM AKY AKY