Auto driver beats up 20-yr-old student, robs him of college fees

Pune: An autorickshaw driver thrashed and robbed a 20-year-old student of Rs 9,600 - his college fees - along Mutha riverbed near Baba Bhide brigde around 8.30pm on Tuesday.
Dhiraj Ashok Supekar, a second year BSc student of S P College, is originally from Shrigonda in Ahmednagar district, but currently staying in Shubhashnagar with his friends.
On the fateful day, he had kept the amount in his pocket after he failed to deposit it in the college."I had gone to meet a friend in Shivajinagar around 7pm. Thereafter, I dropped the friend at her hostel and hired an autorickshaw from Mhasoba Chowk in Shivajinagar to reach Alka Talkies," Supekar told TOI over phone on Thursday.
While he was sitting in the autorickshaw, the driver picked an argument with him over the fare. "He demanded a fare of Rs 100 which was way above the usual tariff of Rs 30-40. When I declined to pay the asked amount, he relented by saying that he would drop me near Deccan Gymkhana since it was easier for him to get a return passenger from there," Supekar said.
Thereafter, he drove me through various bylanes before stopping behind a parked tempo in a remote area near Mutha riverbed between Omkareshwar temple and Bhide bridge.
"He saw the bundle of cash when I took out the money to pay him the fare. Initially, he made futile attempts to snatch the cash from me. When he did not succeed, he kicked me several times before pulling out a sharp weapon from the autorickshaw. He threatened me with it and took the cash before fleeing with his vehicle," he said.
During the incident, Supekar said he raised an alarm, but nobody came to his rescue. "Many vehicles passed by the area, but conveniently turned a deaf ear to my pleas for help," he added.
Luckily, Supekar jotted down the registration number of the autorickshaw.
"I called up the police control room immediately after the incident. One police officer each from Vishrambaug and Deccan Gymkhana police stations reached the spot soon after," he said, adding that the officers took some time on deciding the jurisdiction that the spot was in.
"Once the confusion was over, I was taken to the Deccan Gymkhana police station, where I registered the complaint and also gave them the registration number of the vehicle, along with the physical description of the driver," Supekar said.
Sub-inspector Chandrakant Lohokare of the Deccan Gymkhana police station said investigations have revealed that the autorickshaw driver drove the vehicle via Mhsoba Chowk, JM Road, Vitthal Ramji Shinde bridge near Balgandharva and robbed Supekar near the riverbed after finding the area deserted.
The complainant has told us that the driver was dark in complexion and sporting a moustache, he said, adding that he was clad in a white shirt and black trouser.
"The CCTV cameras installed on the stretch in the area have captured blurred images of the autorickshaw. We are verifying the vehicle registration number and will arrest him soon," Lohokare said.
Meanwhile, Nitin Pawar, convenor of the Autorickshaw Panchayat, termed the incident "most unfortunate". "We came across such incidents in the past too. But, most of the time, the persons involved in the robbery were not genuine rickshaw drivers. They were basically robbers who were just posing as rickshaw drivers to target gullible travellers. None of them possessed badges or licences for driving the autorickshaw," Pawar said.
"In this case, if a genuine autorickshaw driver is involved, then it is a matter of concern. However, that will be ascertained only after the suspect is arrested," he added.