New Delhi: Six men have been arrested in Central Delhi for allegedly robbing workers from Gulf countries with the pretext of providing Covid-19 negative reports for their train trips, police said on Monday.
The defendant has been identified as Vijay Bhan Pandey (41), Deepak (40), Sanjeev Kumar (41), Harish Singh (35), Raju Shah (46) and Sunder (37), they said.
The accusation told the victims that to travel by train, they needed a fresh negative report of Covid-19 and provided by Delhi Airport illegal, police said.
According to the police, they received information that some people were involved in the robbery of workers who came from the Gulf countries.
Mohammad Wahi Vasi who complained worked as a laborer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia since 2018.
On Friday, he, along with four others, returned to India to visit his hometown in West Bengal.
Flights landed at Delhi airport, from where they reached the New Delhi train station, a senior police officer said.
On Friday and Saturday intervention night at the train station, they were approached by a man who told them that to travel by train, they needed a negative report Covid-19, however, Vasi said that they already had provided by Delhi.
Airport, he said.
The defendant told the victims that the report provided by Delhi Airport did not apply to travel from the train and they would need a new one.
The victims were then taken to the office in Paharganj where they were told that their report would be ready the next day.
They were also told that their train to Kolkata would depart at 12:30 a.m.
and they could collect their report at 11:30 from the office.
Night accommodation in a hotel in Pahartanj was also set for them, police said.
On Saturday at 11:30 a.m., the victims reached the office where six people were present.
They showed their report and asked to pay 897 Saudi Riyal.
When they refused to pay, one of the accusations to issue a gun made by the country, while others issued a knife.
The complainant was held hostage and was beaten by four accused, the officer said.
The defendant threw the victims and robbed them from 3,500 Saudi Riyal and Rs 17,970 along with other valuables, including watches, cellphones.
The accusation then threatened a terrible consequence complainant and seized their passport, if they approached the police, the officer said.
The defendant called three Kidung and the complainant was taken to the New Delhi train station.
The victims were then made to take the train, police said.
Meanwhile, the police reached the station, traced the victims and asked them to drive a train.
The victims were then accompanied to the office in Paharganj, they said.
“About the victim’s instances, Deepak, Sanjeev Kumar, Vijay Bhan Pandey and Harish Singh were arrested.
Then, Raju Shah and Sunder are also Nabbed,” said Deputy Commissioner of the Police (crime) Monika Bhardwaj.
It was revealed that the people accused had robbed hundreds of people with similar modus operandi in the past year.
Interrogation shows that they are targeting individuals who return from the Gulf countries.
The people who were harmed were mostly from the working class, working in the bay, DCP said.
The victims who paid money were given a false negative Covid report, while those who refused, the people who were accused of hosting them, keep their passports and rob them in Gunpoint, Bhardwaj said.
One gun made by the country, two live cartridges, one knife, robbed, Saudi Riyal and Indian Rupee recovered from their ownership, added the police.