The accused stole inter-State bus passengers’ personal belonging after drugging them and withdrew over ₹10 lakh from the stolen debit cards.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
The Delhi police have recently busted an inter-State gang that drugged passengers travelling in buses and robbed them. Two persons were arrested on Saturday for withdrawing over ₹10 lakh from the stolen debit cards of the inter-State passengers they targeted. Besides, 16 mobile phones, along with stolen debit cards, were recovered from them.
The issue came to light when a victim, Md. Usman filed a complaint with the police.
As per the complaint, the incident occurred on October 13, when Mr. Usman was travelling on the Uttar Pradesh Roadways bus from Anand Vihar in Delhi to Moradabad. A fellow passenger befriended him and offered water, after which Mr Usman lost consciousness, leading him to be admitted to a Civic Hospital in Moradabad. He realised, upon regaining consciousness, that his bag, mobile phone, and wallet had been stolen. He also discovered that a total of ₹53,000 had been stolen, including ₹8,000 from his wallet.
The police registered an FIR under Section 303(2) (punishment for theft) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Patparganj Industrial Area police station on October 18 and began an investigation. The probe led the police to two suspects Adil Ali, 25, and Alok Mishra, 23. Both the suspects, who hail from Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, were apprehended from the Shastri Nagar area in Delhi.
During interrogation, the accused revealed that they would offer drugged biscuits, water or snacks to passengers during long-distance bus journeys, the police said.
Describing Mr. Adil as a “clever and desperate” person, the police stated that he allegedly learnt to prepare intoxicant-laced biscuits and snacks from a relative and procured the tablets online to mix into the food items at his Delhi residence.
Police said they were habitual offenders who operated at Anand Vihar and Kaushambi bus stands during late-night and early-morning hours, targeting inter-State passengers.
The investigation is still in its initial stages, and other victims are being identified through the recovered documents and the call detail records of seized mobile phones, police added.
Published – October 30, 2025 01:13 am IST
