Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Three bike-borne miscreants assaulted and robbed the director of district TB centre during his morning cycling routine, leaving him seriously injured near chief minister’s residence, Shyamla Hills police said on Friday.
According to police, the victim Dr Verma, 50, a resident of Professor Colony and director of a TB training centre in Bhopal, was out cycling between 8 am and 10 am. At around 10 am on Friday, two unidentified men on a motorcycle approached him from behind and deliberately rammed into his bicycle, causing him to fall.
The accused immediately got off their bike and sprayed pepper spray into the eyes of Dr Manoj Verma, leaving him disoriented. They then snatched his belongings including a wallet containing ₹2,500, a smartwatch, and a gold bracelet weighing over 11 tolas.
Dr Verma told media persons that the attackers were armed and threatened to kill him if he resisted. One of the assailants was reportedly carrying a knife. Due to sudden attack and use of pepper spray, neither the victim nor bystanders could intervene. The impact of the collision caused severe injuries to the doctor, including a fracture in his hip. He was rushed to Jaypee Hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment.
Police suspect that the crime was premeditated. “The manner in which the incident was executed indicates prior reconnaissance. The accused appeared to have surveyed the area before carrying out the robbery within a span of two minutes,” said TI Bhupendra Kaul Sandhu.
TI Sandhu further said that following the incident, passersby alerted the police, who promptly registered an FIR against unknown persons. Authorities have launched a search operation and are examining CCTV footage from cameras installed in the surrounding area to identify and trace the suspects.
