Kidnapped Cyber City GM threatened
By Nitin Paul

In a glaring example of how daring the robbers are in Cyber City Gurgaon and have no fear of the law, the executive of a multinational media consultancy firm who was robbed of his cash, ATM cards, wrist watch and Honda City car at gunpoint on November 28, has started receiving threatening calls from the same criminals.  Naturally, he is nervous.

The criminals who kidnapped him before leaving him bound and gagged have threatened the executive with dire consequences for lodging a complaint with the police about the robbery and kidnapping.  The robbers procured the contact numbers of the executive from his stolen wallet that contained his cash, business and ATM cards.  Even after 12 days have passed, the robbers continue to be at large despite the fact that the executive Chirantan Chandran has handed over the phone numbers from where the robbers called him up.

The police also have pictures of the faces of the robbers from the CCTV footage at the ATM kiosks, but have not had much luck in arresting the criminals.  Not only that, the robbers also went on to withdraw another Rs. 25,000 using his ATM card, this time from Axis ATM kiosk in Delhi. Earlier on November 28 evening , the executive was kidnapped at gunpoint and  taken to the SBI ATM kiosk in Gurgaon in his own Honda City car and Rs. 20,000 was withdrawn from his account. They had, however, failed to withdraw money from his ICICI bank ATM card due to technical reasons. 

The robbers had kidnapped Chirantan at 10.30 pm on November 28 when he had slowed down his Honda City car at an unmanned police barricade taken over by three armed robbers. He was on his way to his home in Uniworld Garden from his office in DLF Cybercity. He was taken around the city in his own car by the robbers till 12.15 midnight before he was dumped - gagged and handcuffed - at a solitary place off National Highway No. 8.  The police officials investigating the case have also managed to procure CCTV footage of both the ATMs and have a good idea about the faces of the robbers in the footage but they still continue to be at large.  Chirantan had received the latest call from the robbers on Dec 4 and he immediately met the concerned police officials and handed over them the number from where the call originated, but to no avail. He is now feeling unsafe and wary of being targeted again by the same group of robbers.

(Techgoss had published the following story on Dec 1, 2008)

Cyber City GM robbed. Laptop safe
By Nitin Paul

Armed goons waylaid an executive of a multi national media consultancy firm, snatched his belongings  including ATM cards, dumped him gagged and handcuffed before speeding away with his Honda car. Ironically, the goons forced the executive Chirantan Chandran to halt his car at an unmanned police barricade and then forced him to drive to the ATM kiosk at gunpoint. 

The criminals then forced him to withdraw cash and then dumped him at a lonely spot.  However, the goons did not assault the executive and left behind his mobile phone set and his laptop. 

The incident occurred at 10.30 pm when Chandran who works with Mindshare as General Manager, was on his way back home in his Honda City car. As the car of this highly respected manager slowed down at the police barricades where no policemen were present, all of a sudden an armed man emerged from the side of the car and directed him to slow down while three others forced their way into the car. The goons ‘advised’ the executive not to act smart and follow what he was told. Chandran was first taken to the State Bank of India ATM where the goons withdrew Rs. 20,000 using his password. After this, the goons took him to the ICICI ATM where the card did not work. However, the goons snatched his golden chain, cash and wrist watch.

Mindshare offices are located at Tower A, Building No. 9, DLF Cyber city, Phase 3, Gurgaon.  Mindshare has worked on a number of high profile campaigns in India including ones for Telecom carrier Virgin Mobile and Motorola.

The goons took out the Sim card of his mobile phone and returned it to him.  They also did not touch the laptop. After dumping him gagged and handcuffed in village Behrampur the goons sped away with his Honda City car (WB 02 U 7496). Chandran took about ten minutes to cut the tapes by rubbing against the stones and freed himself. He managed to inform his family using the phone of a farmhouse owner.