Robbers hijack cabbie for crime

After getting to Mysore, locks driver in the dickey and robs innocent people looking for a lift to Bangalore

Robbers hijack cabbie for crime

After getting to Mysore, locks driver in the dickey and robs innocent people looking for a lift to Bangalore

A GANG of four hijacked a cab, tossed the driver into the dickey and went on a robbing spree.

Driver Devraju, 35, told police that the four told him they were doing it for a friend who was being treated at Manipal for a kidney problem.

Recalling his horrific experience, Devraju told Banaswadi police that he got a call from his travel agency to pick up customers who wanted to go to Mysore.

"I took the details and went to the designated place in Kammanahalli.

A person aged around 25 years introduced himself as Rajesh and got in with four others. They asked me to drive towards Queen's Road where one of them got off."

Beyond Mysore

They then headed towards Mysore, stopping at a dhaba in Bidadi where they ate and got drunk. They reached Mysore at 6pm but Rajesh told Devraju to drive towards Nanjangud for a temple visit.

On the way there, Rajesh asked him to stop the vehicle at an isolated place for a break.

Everyone got off and two of them immediately pounced on Devraju and tied his neck with a belt. They tightened it and instructed him not to shout.

The other person pulled out a knife and silenced him. They later tied his hands and legs, covered his face with a jacket and dumped him in the dickey.

They took away his mobile phone and ATM card and threatened to kill him if he made a noise.

Risky business

The gang then started stopping people, offering a drop to Bangalore. They got a few and some of them pretended to be passengers too.

"I could not see the victims as I was in the dickey, but I could hear people screaming and the gang threatening them at knife point."

Devraju said he overhead them saying they had visited Hassan, Tumkur, Bangalore and Mangalore before reaching Bangalore the next day. They robbed more than three people, Devraju told police.

After covering around 900 km, they reached Jalahalli Cross on Sunday at around 6.30 pm. They freed Devraju, handed over his phone and ATM card and escaped leaving behind the cab.u00a0 They warned him against going to the police.

Devraju called up his senior and narrated the incident. The office staff rushed to help Devraju and gotu00a0 him first aid.

"They also misused my ATM card," said Devraju, exhausted after 24 hours in the dickey.