Traffic jam helps Delhi trader catch robbers who mugged him at ATM
New Delhi : As a medicine supplier whose job required him to ride a motorcycle across the national capital, 34-year-old Janardan Singh always cursed Delhi’s notorious traffic jams. But on Wednesday, he was thankful for a traffic snarl that prevented two robbers from getting away after robbing his money.
For the two motorcycle-borne robbers, getting caught in a traffic jam was just one among a series of ill fortunes they encountered within five minutes of committing the crime.
It all began at 12:30 pm on Wednesday when Singh was out to pick his daughter from school in Bhajanpura’s Yamuna Vihar. On the way, he withdrew Rs 6,000 from an ATM.
The moment he stepped out of the ATM booth, a man held him by his collar and tried to snatch the money. However, Singh refused to part with the money. “I am a young, strong man; it was my hard-earned money. I decided to fight back,” said Singh.
However, he could not for long as Singh immediately found another man put a knife to his throat. “I continued to grapple with them for a few more seconds until it appeared that the robbers would stab me. My retaliation rattled the robbers,” said Singh.
But he wasn’t going to give up easily. As the robbers fled on a motorcycle with his cash, Singh gave chase on foot and simultaneously kept screaming to attract attention of passersby on the road.
As luck would have it, the alleged robbers found themselves stuck in a traffic jam near a hospital, just 250 metres from the ATM. “The robbers unsuccessfully tried to squeeze their motorcycle through the jam. The pillion rider kept looking back to see if I was still chasing them,” said Singh.
But the moment Singh almost caught up with them, the two suspects abandoned their motorcycle in the jam and ran towards a service lane. Singh finally caught up with them, pinning down both of them.
At that moment, one of the robbers allegedly again pulled out the knife to manage an escape. But Singh continued to latch on to the other as they wrestled on the road.
Singh was tired after the sprint and wrestling and was loosening his grip on the other robber when, at that very moment, two policemen patrolling the neighbourhood walked straight towards them.
“One of the suspects, Raja, was overpowered by the police with the help from the daring victim. The robbed cash and the motorcycle used in the crime were immediately recovered. The absconding suspect has been identified,” said Atul Kumar Thakur, deputy commissioner of police (north-east).
The DCP said Singh would soon be rewarded and felicitated for his bravery. Three months ago, the same officer had felicitated 41 members of the general public who had been involved in similar acts of bravery in the neighbourhood.
courtesy : hindustantimes.com
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
