Two miscreants posing as clients rob Haryana driver of taxi, nabbed

The Khanna police claimed to have arrested two miscreants who looted a cab driver on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh National Highway in Samrala. They hired the taxi and after some time demanded money and tried to strangle the driver on the highway and later fled with the car. Alert residents played a crucial role in nabbing the suspects.

Naveen Kumar, a cab driver from Fatehabad, Haryana, told the police that he drives a Swift Dzire car as a taxi. On November 14, he received a call through an app. The caller identified himself as Karan, a resident of Hoshiarpur, and booked a cab to Ludhiana from Sohana, Mohali. After finalising a fare of Rs 1,500, the driver was instructed to reach near the Sohana gurdwara in Mohali.

When he reached Sohana, he saw two men waiting there. One of them introduced himself as Gurjant Singh, alias Janta, a resident of Moga. Karan sat in the front seat while Gurjant sat in the rear. After leaving the place for Ludhiana, when the car reached the bridge at Hedon village in Samrala on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh Highway, Gurjant tried to strangle him with a muffler.

Naveen said to save his life, he stopped the vehicle alongside the road. Meanwhile, the two suspects demanded Rs 20,000 from him, else threatened to kill him. The taxy owner, Ravinder Singh, also kept calling, but the suspects refused to let him answer the call. The driver was forced to get out of the vehicle. As soon as he went out, Karan got into the driver’s seat and the suspects fled with the car. The driver filed a police complaint. After which, the police acted swiftly and arrested both suspects.

Superintendent of Police (Detective) Pawanjit said after taking away the car, the suspects fled towards nearby Shamaspur village, Samrala, where with the help of Ravjot Singh Kang, sarpanch Mandeep Singh, Harnam Mann, Gagan and other residents of the village, Karan was overpowered and caught after the victim raised the alarm. The villagers played a crucial role in apprehending the suspect. The second suspect, Gurjant Singh, alias Janta, was arrested by a team of Samrala DSP Tarlochan Singh within three hours from the Ludhiana railway station. A murder case was also registered against Gurjant in Moga in 2021. Interrogation of the suspects was underway.

The police appealed to the public that as residents of Shamaspur village assisted the police in capturing the suspects, the public should continue to extend maximum support to the police so that strict action could be taken against criminals.

Carjacking incidents that still haunt city

June 2025: The Ludhiana rural police had arrested three persons for allegedly killing a 45-year-old taxi driver, Gurmeet Singh, alias Bittu. The incident came to light after the police recovered the victim’s Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire taxi from Mohi village.

August 2024: A taxi driver, Ravi Kumar, of Ram Darbar, Chandigarh, was allegedly shot dead by carjackers who took away his car at the Samrala Bypass on Ludhiana-Chandigarh National Highway.

June 2024: Four robbers allegedly robbed a college student, Sarthak Bansal, of Kitchlu Nagar of his car, two mobile phones, a gold chain and a wallet at gunpoint when he was returning home.

March 15, 2024: Three unidentified men took away a Hyundai i20 car from a businessman of SBS Nagar, Ludhiana, from near a medical store on Dhandra Road.

March 14, 2024: Miscreants, including two siblings, took away a car from a couple at Kochar Market Chowk, Ludhiana.