Bhubaneswar: A cab driver was arrested by the police in Bhubaneswar for allegedly abandoning a passenger midway and fleeing with valuables worth over Rs 20 lakh.
The passenger, identified as Aman Kumar Agarwal, had returned from Thailand and was carrying valuables including gold ornaments, diamond jewellery and foreign currency. He had booked the cab from Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar to CDA area in Cuttack.
Stopping midway through the journey under the pretext of filling CNG in his vehicle, the driver reportedly asked the passenger to get down and then fled with his luggage at Chandrasekharpur petrol pump on Wednesday.
Based on a complaint filed by the passenger at Chandrasekharpur Police Station, police nabbed the accused driver, Nageshwar Pramanik, and recovered valuables within 24 hours.
According to police officials, special teams were formed to trace the accused driver who hails from Mahanga in Cuttack district. The police successfully tracked down Nageshwar Pramanik and arrested him within a day. Valuables including jewellery, foreign and Indian currency have been recovered from his possession.
“We assure strict action against such offenders and urge cab aggregators to strengthen their driver verification processes,” said a senior police officer.
Police said further investigation is underway to determine if the accused was involved in similar crimes.
