A gang of criminals looted Rs 10,000 and a cell-phone from the driver of a truck near Marine Drive area under Bistupur police station area in the wee hours of Friday.
The victim, identified as Jaga Behera, has been admitted at the MGM Medical College and Hospital's emergency with serious injuries. Speaking to newspersons, he said that he was driving the truck carrying newsprint paper roll from Odisha and was negotiating a rough Marine Drive towards Mango to deliver the papers when the criminals attacked him. He was forcibly stopped by three youths.
According to the victim, as the criminals were holding clubs in their hands, he was left with no choice but to stop the vehicle. The truck driver said the cleaner of the truck who was sitting besides him in the cabin, managed to escape. He pointed out as all the three criminals were drunk, they might have overlooked the cleaner. He was robbed of the money and was assaulted. An hour later a patrolling party arrived at the scene and rescued him. The police party which belonged to the Bistupur police station rushed the victim to the medical college hospital. Officer-in-charge, Bistupur police station, AK Yadav confirmed about the loot and claimed to have started investigation into the incident. Notably, the cases of loot and snatching from the truck drivers are on rise at the Marin Drive area.