A Muslim delivery agent was brutally assaulted, tortured and even held hostage on August 20, in Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar locality which is known for being a residential area.
The delivery agent, Mohammad Aslam, a resident of Maulviganj slightly delayed the order he received for 20 rotis. Although Aslam informed the customer that the order might get delayed because he had other two orders to deliver, he was subjected to a brutal assault upon reaching the location.
Around 1 AM, as the delivery agent reached the location, he was pulled inside the house by a young man. Four people present in the house who saw his name appear on the Zomato app started inquiring about his faith, as told by the agent.
On learning Aslam’s religion, the group started to attack him aggressively and threw alcohol glasses at him.
Aslam states, the assaulters tied his hands and legs and held him hostage. Fortunately, Aslam later found a way to escape the assault and reported the entire incident to Gomti Nagar Police station. The following day, an FIR was registered.
“Four men under 37 years of age hit me, locked me in the room for more than an hour, took my phone and gave it back later. They also threatened to shoot me.” Aslam narrated the incident to the Police.
Aslam also alleged that the men forced him to sign a fake letter which stated that he failed to deliver the order on time, used offensive language towards them and overcharged for the order.
The men reportedly told him, “You are a Muslim, now watch what we will do to you.” “They beat me up with my helmet, threw alcohol glasses on me and abused me,” The Quint reported.
The men also threatened him not to tell anyone about the incident. According to the victim, they made him stand in a corner while they discussed setting him on fire and pouring hot water on him.
Rajesh Kumar Tripathi, SHO of Gomti Nagar police station said, “The main accused, Abhishek Dubey has been already arrested, investigation is underway and we are searching for the other three perpetrators.”
Aslam stated that the Zomato’s team leader has made a complaint about the incident.
In August 2023, a delivery agent from Amazon was assaulted similarly based on his religious identity. The victim, Rehan Fayaz who was delivering his first order was thrashed by an MLA’s relative, KP Vishal Goud and others in Hyderabad.
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