Mira Bhayandar: Less than 24 hours after they brutally assaulted and robbed a 35-year-old bus conductor on knife point under the guise of offering him a lift, four people have been arrested by the Virar police for their alleged involvement in the crime. Notably, a sticker on the car helped cops track down the accused.
According to the police, the conductor, who was headed to his workplace in Andheri, was waiting for a bus to reach the Virar railway station at around 3:30 am on 20, October. A Maruti Ertiga car with four occupants stopped near him and offered to drop him at the railway station. The unsuspecting victim agreed and boarded the car. However, he was driven to a secluded area where he was brutally assaulted and robbed of his valuables including cash, Bluetooth, and a mobile phone at knifepoint.
The quartet fled after pushing him out near a dargah. The conductor immediately alerted the police about the incident. An investigating team checked closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the crime scene and possible getaway routes. A suspicious car pasted with the logo of a human rights organisation was spotted by the team. Based on the logo, the police traced the owner who claimed that he had given his car to Ashraf Issaquah who was taken into custody from Borivali within 24 hours.
Accused Arrested
Ashraf confessed to the crime and revealed the names of his accomplices- Alinijar Ahmed Khan (22), Ravikumar Gautam (26), and Akash Modanwal (22) who were also arrested. The police impounded the car and recovered the stolen valuables from the possession of the accused who have been booked under sections 309(6) for committing robbery while voluntarily causing hurt and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). Not ruling out the involvement of the quartet in more such cases, the Virar police are investigating the case.
