Mandi Gobindgarh man robbed of SUV in Mohali, four booked

A man lost his Mahindra Thar car to four robbers near Sohana Hospital in the early hours of Sunday.

Victim Deepak Aggarwal of Mandi Gobindgarh told police that he had come to Mohali to meet someone. At the time of the incident, he was accompanied by a woman in his car when the four carjackers, driving a Maruti car, intercepted his vehicle around 3 am. The incident was captured by a nearby CCTV camera.

The CCTV footage showed Aggarwal, a real estate dealer by profession, arguing with the suspect for a long time before they fled with his vehicle.

Police say the incident initially involved road rage after accidentally crashing his car into the suspect’s vehicle. Enraged over the incident, the suspect intercepted him near Sohana Hospital and exchanged heated arguments for over 15 minutes. After clearing the victim’s car of its occupants, they ultimately fled with both vehicles.

Police said the victim then called his friend from the spot and informed the police, following which a PCR and Sohana police arrived on the spot.

Meanwhile, the police are also looking into the honey trap angle and are also investigating the woman’s role in the incident.

A senior police officer said investigators have gathered vital clues about the suspect and the suspects are likely to be arrested soon.

“It is not exactly a case of carjacking, as the victim and suspect initially had an argument, after which the suspect took his car away. Our teams are tracing them through CCTV and human intelligence and they will soon end up in the police net. However, it is also possible that there was honey trapping,” said a senior police officer.

A case was registered under section 309 (robbery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

However, Mohali SSP Deepak Pareek said an investigation into the matter is underway. “We are making sincere efforts to curb street crime as we have identified the theft hotspots and are in the process of installing CCTV cameras. There is also regular patrolling under the supervision of senior police officers. Once the defendant is arrested, it will be clear whether the defendant stopped him for the purpose of stealing a car or not.”

This is the second car theft in less than ten days after a local resident was robbed of his car and a mobile phone at gunpoint by four people in Sector 86, Mohali on October 26. Sohana police had arrested four people, including a woman, in the case.

Carjacking incidents from the past

October 7: A taxi driver was robbed of his car and a mobile phone by two men posing as passengers at gunpoint near Sector 85-86 chowk in Mohali around 4 am. The suspects have been arrested by the police

September 29: Three men robbed a taxi driver of his cab at a service lane near Chatt light point in Zirakpur. The suspects were later arrested.

July 21: A taxi driver was robbed of his car, two mobile phones and… ₹2,400 by four men posing as passengers near Delhi Public School, Chappar Chiri, in the early hours of Sunday. The suspects were arrested.