Gang of four abduct 16 in van, rob them in east Delhi

Four people, including the driver of a rapid transport vehicle (RTV), were arrested for allegedly abducting 16 passengers, confining them inside the vehicle, and robbing them of their money in the Shastri Park area in northeast Delhi on Friday, police said on Saturday. Police said that the arrested men were members of a gang working with the RTV bus.

The suspects were identified as Satyapal Singh, 56, Majok Kumar, 44, Deepu, 31, and Vipin Sharma, 25. Investigators said they were verifying their antecedents to ascertain if the gang was involved in more such crimes.

Deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said that on Friday afternoon, the suspects picked up the 16 people from Anand Vihar railway station on the pretext of dropping them to their respective destinations. “On the way, they robbed the passengers, and four of the 16 passengers were thrown out of the bus,” said Tirkey.

The DCP said that around 2pm on Friday, three members of the Shastri Park police station were present near the flyover when they heard some people screaming inside an RTV bus moving towards Kashmere Gate. The team intercepted the bus.

“There were 12 passengers who alleged that three people told them the vehicle was public transport and made them board it from Anand Vihar railway station. The four suspects were arrested and booked for kidnapping and robbery, and the vehicle was confiscated,” said Tirkey, adding that the looted money was also recovered.