76-year-old cancer patient robbed at PGI bus stop

A senior citizen battling cancer became the latest victim of a daylight robbery near PGIMER, as he was preparing to board a bus to Baltana. The incident has raised fresh concerns over the safety of elderly commuters in the area.

The victim, 76-year-old Paramjit Singh Chauhan, a retired defence personnel and a resident of Baltana, was allegedly surrounded by a group of individuals while he was trying to catch a bus from outside PGI’s Nehru Gate. According to his complaint, a man intentionally blocked his way as three women distracted him by placing bags over his shoulders. In the confusion, the group allegedly managed to remove his gold “kara” (bangle) using a sharp tool —without him realising it immediately. By the time he noticed that his ornament was missing, the assailants disappeared into the crowd, making it difficult for bystanders to react or intervene.

Singh was unable to report the crime right away. He filed a complaint with the PGI Police Post two days later on July 21. A formal FIR has since been registered, and CCTV footage from nearby areas is being scanned.

The case echoes a similar incident reported just a week earlier on July 14, where two women attempted to snatch gold bangles from a 69-year-old woman at the same bus stop. The woman was travelling with her husband when the attackers targeted her while boarding a bus to Panchkula from the PGI bus stop. A day later, one of the women, a 40-year-old resident of Malout, Punjab, was arrested.