Vadodara: Two autorickshaw drivers held for playing ‘prank’ over security at mall

Three police teams, including the Vadodara Crime Branch, were dispatched to the mall. They collected the CCTV footage and tried to identify the accused with the help of the two staffers, in addition to activating their local informers’ network. Thakkar was identified first and nabbed from Harni area of the city and Baria was arrested from Waghodia from under a water tank. The police did not recover any bag or cash from their possession.

“The two have confessed that they had approached the staffers with such a demand, but maintained that they were just trying to pull off a prank. They said they did not have the money that they were offering,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Jaydeepsinh Jadeja. They were spotted on their white Activa outside the mall but did not have any bag with them, Jadeja added.

The two have been booked under IPC section 505 (1) (B) (With intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public) — a non bailable offence — at the Bapod police station. “Though preliminary probe suggests that they were trying to pull off a prank, we are investigating the case. The Modus Operandi used here cannot be ruled out. When the two had entered the mall, there was a partial blackout. They were insistent on bringing a bag inside and approached two people, instead of quitting after asking one. It might be a coincidence but we are looking into the possibility of it being a recce for a future plot,” Jadeja said.

The police also conducted background checks on the duo and found out that Thakkar has a case of rioting registered against him at the Bapod police station, while Baria was one once arrested under the Prohibition Act and later released.