Bank's Recovery Agents Abducted An Executive In Delhi

October 16, 2008

City MNC executive alleges two recovery agents abducted and robbed him of Rs 1lakh

AN MNC executive was allegedly kidnapped, assaulted and robbed of Rs 1 lakh by recovery agents of HDFC Bank. Vikas Garg, who hadn't paid his credit card bills, said the incident happened on October 8.

" I had left my house in Matia Khan DDA flats in the Jhandewalan area around 7.45 pm in my Wagon R. I was headed towards Kirti Nagar when two armed men stopped me and got into the car near an intersection on Pusa Road. They beat me up and asked me to drive around according to their instructions," Garg wrote in his complaint to the police on October 9.

A police officer said the accused allegedly made Garg withdraw over Rs 1 lakh from various ATMs at gunpoint.

The two men then left an injured Garg near the Red Fort after breaking his cellphone so that he couldn't call anyone.

Deputy commissioner of police ( Central Delhi) Jaspal Singh said: " We suspect that the persons involved in the case to be from HDFC Bank, to which Garg owes around Rs 50,000- Rs 70,000 as credit card payments. Investigations were delayed due to bank holidays, but we have some leads. A case will be registered soon." HDFC Bank officials were unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.

Garg - who works in a private firm at Pitampura - said: " After forcibly entering my car, the two men punched and kicked me repeatedly and asked me to pay up all the money I owed to them. I told them I didn't owe any money to anyone, after which the duo asked me to drive towards Punjab National Bank's ATM in Connaught Place." Garg said from that point another car driven by the recovery agents' accomplices followed them till CP. " When we reached the ATM, one of the men took my ATM card and asked for my PIN number.

He went inside the ATM while I was made to sit in the car at gunpoint. Soon he returned and beat me up saying the PIN number was wrong." The victim was then asked to drive towards a City Bank ATM on Tolstoy Marg, from where they managed to withdraw a substantial amount of money. The next stops were Surya Kiran building and an ATM near Delite cinema in Daryaganj.

" We are trying to get CCTV footage of the ATMs," said a police officer adding that before dropping Garg at Red Fort, the two accused also robbed him of cash and jewellery.

DCP Singh said Garg called the police around 11.40 pm on the night of the incident and the investigations are under way.Armed assailants assaulted the victim in his car on Oct 8