Liquor trick used to assault engineer; car, valuables looted near J.K. Grounds

Mysore/Mysuru: Miscreants who sought help from an engineer to buy liquor assaulted him and fled with his cash, silver jewellery and car. The incident occurred around midnight on Nov. 12 near J.K. Grounds, and a case was registered on Sunday.

The victim, 42-year-old Akash Aditya, a resident of a layout near Hadajana, was robbed of his 20-gram silver chain, 40-gram silver bracelet, Rs. 1,000 cash, debit and credit cards and his Maruti Baleno car. Akash lodged a complaint at the Mandi Mohalla Police Station after receiving treatment at a hospital.

Drop off request

According to the complaint, around 12.30 am, Akash — who has taken up a swimming pool construction contract at a hotel near Metagalli — stopped near City Railway Station for tea before returning home. Three unidentified men approached him and asked where they could buy liquor at that hour. When he said he didn’t know, they requested a drop off at Sub-Urban Bus Stand.

Akash agreed, and all three boarded his car. Near the bus stand, one of them stepped out, spoke to a man waiting by the roadside and returned to the car. A few minutes later, the same man approached the car with a liquor bottle and asked for payment. The trio told Akash they did not have enough cash and would repay him shortly. Akash paid for the bottle.

Forced to drive

The men then asked him to drop them back at the Railway Station.

When they reached the spot and Akash asked them to alight, the trio threatened him and forced him to drive towards J.K. Grounds.

At the gate of J.K. Grounds, the miscreants dragged Akash out of the car, assaulted him, took the car key and snatched his silver ornaments, cash and cards before speeding away in his vehicle.

Akash, who lost consciousness due to the assault, regained consciousness around 3 am to find himself bleeding heavily. 

He managed to walk to the gate, where he spotted a two-wheeler rider and sought his help. The rider dropped him home, after which his family admitted him to a hospital. Once discharged, he filed a Police complaint.

Questions raised on night patrolling

The incident has raised questions about the effectiveness of night patrolling in the city. Members of the public pointed out that despite recent murders and the sexual assault and murder of a minor girl, the City Police Commissioner had re-launched the Anti-Rowdy Squad and instructed jurisdictional police to intensify night patrolling to ensure safety.

Yet, this assault took place in the heart of the city, near the busy City Railway Station, which sees round-the-clock movement. Citizens have now expressed serious concerns about night-time safety and the alertness of the Police.