JALANDHAR, Sept. 10 — A woman narrowly escaped a robbery attempt on the Jalandhar-Ludhiana highway after clinging onto a moving auto-rickshaw for nearly 500 metres, as three men tried to tie her hands with a dupatta and rob her, police said Tuesday.
The incident occurred near the Jalandhar bypass when the victim, Meena Kumari, boarded an auto to catch a bus from Phillaur to Nawanshahr. During the journey, a passenger asked the driver to stop on the pretext of using the toilet. “When he returned, the men pushed me to the middle seat. They pulled out sharp weapons and tried to tie my hands. I resisted and clung to the moving auto, screaming for help,” Kumari recounted.
Despite her cries, the auto driver continued speeding as other motorists tried to intervene. A car driver who followed the vehicle filmed the ordeal, and the video quickly went viral on social media. Another motorist attempted to block the auto, but the suspects rammed their vehicle into his car, damaging two vehicles in the process.
The chase ended when the auto went out of control and overturned. Locals managed to overpower two of the suspects and handed them over to police, while the third fled the scene.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (City/Rural) Rupinder Singh, addressing a press conference on Tuesday, confirmed the arrests of Mohit of Subhash Nagar and Dimple, who had been residing near AR Model School. The third suspect, identified as Shubham of Subhash Nagar, remains at large.
Police said Mohit has a criminal record, with at least three cases registered against him in the past. “We are pursuing the absconding accused and strict action will follow. The bravery of the victim prevented a tragedy and helped in catching two of the culprits,” DCP Singh said.
The victim escaped with minor injuries, but the dramatic sequence has sparked alarm over the safety of women commuters on Punjab’s highways.
