Husband, Wife Arrested for Robbing Scrap Dealers by Offering Spiked Snacks

Noida (UP), Jan 16 (PTI) A husband-wife duo, who would rob scrap dealers by spiking their food and drinks, were arrested Wednesday in Greater Noida, police said.

Pradeep Yadav and his wife Madhuri Sharma were arrested around 8.30 am near the Ace City crossroad, under Bisrakh police station limits, they said.

According to an official, the couple, who live in Khurja town of adjoining Bulandshahr district, would target scrap dealers by assuring them business with good profit.

"They would tell them to accompany them to far away sites for scrap deals after winning their confidence. Midway they would take a break for tea, cold-drink and snacks during which the couple would spike their drink and food," Station House Officer, Bisrakh, Anil Kumar Shahi said.

"After the dealer would get unconscious, they would rob them of whatever money and items they could lay their hands on like mobile phones, jewellery, and flee," he said.

The SHO said police had received a complaint on January 10 from a scrap dealer,  Shabbir Malik, who had alleged of being robbed of Rs 50,000 by "a couple".

Malik was called by the duo to Hanuman Mandir, at Patwadi in Greater Noida, where they trapped him, made him unconscious after offering him tea and snacks and then vanished, Shahi said.

"The modus operandi of the incident with Malik was similar to what this couple had been using. After this police tracked them down and arrested this morning," he said.

During interrogation, the couple has admitted to targeting scrap dealers by spiking their food and drinks, police claimed.

They have been charged for theft and remanded in judicial custody, they said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)