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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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
