Thugs drug, rob Army major in auto

NEW DELHI: A major in the Indian Army was drugged, robbed and dumped by a gang who picked him up from Nizamuddin railway station in an auto on the pretext of dropping him at Dhaula Kuan.
Major Rahul Ashok Mahajan, posted at the military hospital in Mathura, reached Delhi on June 7 by Mangla Express. When he was waiting at the bus stand outside the station, a man asked him about his destination.“I told him that I had to go to Dhaula Kuan. Almost at the same time, an autorickshaw stopped near me and the driver said he would take us to Dhaula Kuan for Rs 120. We decided to share the fare and boarded the auto. After travelling for some distance, another man boarded the auto, saying he would get off at the next stop,” the major told police.
After travelling for a few more minutes, one man got down from the auto to get water and came back with a bottle of juice. Mahajan claimed this drink, which was offered to him, was loaded with sedatives. As the weather was extremely hot, the major accepted the offer.
“After 10 minutes, I began to feel sleepy and fell unconscious within 15 minutes. After that I can’t remember anything. When I regained my senses 24 hours later, I found myself in the army hospital in Dhaula Kuan. All my belongings, including two suitcases, a laptop, cash, mobile phones, cards and other valuables, had been taken away by them,” the major said.
The major was allegedly dumped in Dhaula Kuan by the accused. A passerby spotted him and raised an alarm. Police have recorded his statement and registered a case of causing hurt with poisoning (328 IPC) and theft (379 IPC). “People should hire autos from the prepaid taxi stand as it helps us track down the drivers if such an incident happens,” a senior police officer said.
Sources said these gangs used to attack elderly people but are now picking up their targets indiscriminately.