A 19-year-old German tourist was robbed and injured in a blade attack here by a rickshaw puller and his accomplice, who were both arrested within a day after the crime, police said on Saturday. The youth is being treated at a hospital.
The incident took place around 11.30 p.m. on Friday in north Delhi's Kotwali area when Benjamin Scolt hired a rickshaw near Chandni Chowk metro station to go to a bus terminal to catch a bus for Amritsar, a police official said.
He said the rickshaw puller took a wrong route, convincing Scolt it was a short cut, picked up his accomplice on way and robbed Rs 8,000 cash and a mobile from him after attacking him with a blade.
The attackers identified as Rizwan and Raj Kishore, in their 30s, were arrested from their hideouts in east Delhi's Brahampuri.
The German youth informed police that he hired the rickshaw around 10.30 p.m. but had doubts about the rickshaw puller who continued to take him along for over 45 minutes before reaching an isolated place where he was attacked and robbed.
Police said that the rickshaw puller took a detour near Geeta colony flyover claiming that it was a short cut.
"The rickshaw puller stopped midway to pick up a man informing Scot that he was his friend. He then took the rickshaw towards Yamuna Khadar under the flyover where they tried to snatch the foreigner's valuables. The youth resisted after which the rickshaw puller attacked him with a blade.
"The victim managed to free himself and reached the flyover where two people crossing the area in their car helped him, informed police and took him to the hospital," another police official said.
The officer said that a police team recovered the victim's bag and his passport from the spot but the attackers till then managed to escape from there.
The tourist was taken to the nearby Hedgewar Hospital where he is being treated. The German Embassy was notified.
A police officer who refused to be named said the attackers were arrested after the questioning of more than 50 persons in the area.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who had sought a report on the attack and asked the Delhi government to provide best medical treatment to the German, congratulated Delhi Police for their fast action in nabbing the accused.
