Gang using reptiles to rob terrorised motorists busted in Gurugram, snake charmers arrested

Two snake charmers were arrested for allegedly posing as priests and shoving snakes through car windows and auto rickshaws at traffic signals to rob terrorised commuters travelling to Gurugram from Delhi, police said on Sunday.

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Police said that the two were arrested from Ghata Road in Gurugram’s Sector 55 on Saturday. Two snakes were also seized from the possession of the arrested suspects identified as Rohit Nath (22) and Sakib Nath (26). Police said that both the snakes were non-venomous and were handed over to wildlife authorities for necessary action.

According to the police, the two men’s activity came to light when a woman reached Sector 52 police station on Friday and submitted a complaint alleging that two sages terrorised her using snakes and forcibly took away ₹2,000 from her wallet.

Sadya Wani (36), the victim, had alleged that she was travelling in an auto-rickshaw when the two suspects wearing clothes of priests approached her and asked for money near Sushant Estates in Sector 52 around 10.30am on Friday. At that time, the auto-rickshaw had halted at a traffic signal. Police said Wani alleged that the two soon set the snakes on her and pulled a ₹2,000 from her wallet that she had opened to give them a coin.

Wani, a resident of Ansal Sushant Estates in Sector 52 who was left terrorised by the incident, got an FIR registered under sections 34 (common intention) and 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code.

Inspector Rajender Singh, station house officer of the Sector 53 police station where the case was registered, said the suspects used to travel from Delhi to Gurugram and return after robbing commuters at different locations in the Millennium City.

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“They had earlier robbed some commuters in a similar fashion, for which an FIR was registered against them last year. Besides, they were also involved in a theft case. Further investigation is on to ascertain if they were involved in such cases in Delhi too,” he said.