Stuck in jam, man robbed at gunpoint

LUDHIANA: Held up by traffic, Harvinder Pal Singh heard a knock on his car’s rear window. Nothing could prepare him for what he saw. A tall, lanky man sporting a cap stood there menacingly, pointing a gun at him. Before the trader could fathom anything, the culprit allegedly asked him to hand him over his briefcase carrying Rs 2.5 lakh cash. The shocking incident occurred around 1pm near Durga Mata temple, a place that remains abuzz with activity throughout the day.
In his early thirties, Singh, a resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, had reportedly withdrew Rs 2.50 lakh cash from his locker in State Bank of India, Model Town, before leaving for his shop near Cheema Chowk in a Santro.
On Jagraon Bridge, as traffic came to a halt, the businessman said he heard a knock on his car window. ‘‘This man was standing there with a pistol in his hand. He asked me to hand over the briefcase to him. Apart from the cash, it contained cheques and drafts. Then he threatened that if I try to turn or raise an alarm, he will kill me,’’ said a shocked Singh.
Gathering courage, though the trader tried to spot the criminal, he reportedly could not find him.
‘‘I have no idea if somebody was following me or whether the accused was alone. Though people might have seen the culprit, nobody came forward to help me as he was holding a gun,’’ he added.
Singh informed the personnel at division number 5 police station about the incident. SHO Jasvinder Singh Mangat said they had begun investigations and were in the process of registering an FIR. ‘‘Based on the accused’s description, we’re trying to trace the culprit,’’ he added.