ISRO scientist drugged, robbed of crucial data

Victim fell unconscious after drinking soft drink laced with sedatives

Victim fell unconscious after drinking soft drink laced with sedatives

One sip from a soft drink bottle cost him dear. 25-year-old Vikas Arya, a scientist from the Astronautical Society of India (ASI), a part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was drugged and robbed in Delhi while on his way to Haridwar on Tuesday night. The robbers took a bag containing some confidential documents and contact details of some top Indian scientists, along with the victim's laptop, some ornaments and cash.


Astronomical loss: ISRO scientist Vikas Arya (left) was on his way to
Haridwar from Chennai. Pic/Rajeev Tyagi

Arya was coming from Bangalore after a meeting with the Director of Laboratory for Electro-Optic Sensors (LEOS). He landed at Nizamuddin railway station at around 7:30pm on Tuesday and was looking for an auto rickshaw to go to the Kashmere Gate Inter State Bus Terminus.

"While I was looking for an auto, a person came up and expressed his willingness to share the auto as he was also going the same way. I agreed and we both got into the auto," said Arya.

On the way the stranger got down to get change for a Rs 500 note. "He bought a soft drink and offered it to me and the auto rickshaw driver. Minutes after drinking the beverage, I realised that I had been drugged. The auto driver was also driving very slowly. After a while I lost consciousness."

Arya was found lying in the middle of Ring Road near Shanti Van. Some passers-by dragged him to the roadside

HEAVY DOSE

Eight passengers of Amrapali Express en-route to Patna were looted by a gang, who allegedly mixed drugs in their soft drink, shortly after the train left New Delhi, railway police said. The passengers lost consciousness following which the gang looted cash worth Rs 1.5 lakh and other valuables and fled. Seven persons are members of a family of Bihar's Siwan district, while the eighth passenger hails from West Bengal. A case has been registered against the accused and the matter is under investigation, an officer said.

and left. On Wednesday morning, a sweeper discovered him and brought him to his senses. The scientist could only provide his brother's contact number who stays in Delhi.

"I reached the spot at around 8:30 in the morning and took him to a hotel at Janpath. He was completely unconscious. Later in the afternoon, he recovered a bit.

We took him to the hospital and mailed his head office about the whole incident. They have faxed all the details to the officials at Delhi Police Headquarters," said Prashant Verma, his brother.

Arya was elected President of the Student Chapter of ASI on June 29 and was going home to Haridwar for celebrating the occasion. According a police official: "In all probability, the trio - the stranger, the auto driver and the shopkeeper - were working together."