An IT professional who was returning home in an app cab after dropping his friend was allegedly robbed by the driver and “two or three” others who had boarded the vehicle despite his objections on Saturday night.

Anirban Sengupta, 37, lodged a complaint saying several people had attacked him inside the cab on a deserted stretch behind the Urbana housing complex, near the Ruby crossing, and let him go after snatching his wallet and phone.

Apart from money, the wallet contained an ATM card and his identity documents, Sengupta told the police.

“The incident happened at Kheyadah, not far from the Ruby rotary, around 10pm,” said a police officer.

“The complainant and a woman friend boarded an app cab in front of Acropolis Mall. The cab went to Mandirtala in Howrah, where the woman got off, before returning to the Bypass to drop Sengupta home near the Ruby crossing,” the officer said.

The cabbie, however, drove past the “destination” towards a deserted stretch, Sengupta wrote in his complaint. The driver allegedly allowed two to three men to board the cab. The men allegedly beat him up and dumped him on the road after snatching his wallet and cellphone.

Sengupta borrowed a phone from a passerby and called up his family and later lodged a complaint with Narendrapur police station.

According to a medical report issued by a government hospital, Sengupta suffered injuries on his lips, ears and face.

The police said they had contacted the app cab company and sought details about the trip and the driver. No one was arrested till Sunday evening.

Theft from press

Metallic types used to create rubber blocks to print documents were stolen from the Bengal Government Press at Gopal Nagar in Alipore on Saturday. Two men — Sheikh Ismail and Mohammad Mansur — were arrested in connection with the theft. Police said six bags containing stolen metallic types were seized from one of the accused.

Officers said they had turned their focus on metallic types used in government presses after the Debanjan Deb case came to light.

Vaccine scam accused Deb had allegedly recruited people using forged government letterheads.

Abuse complaint

A woman who would step out of her home to feed stray dogs was allegedly verbally abused by a neighbour.

The woman, who lives with her mother in south Calcutta, lodged a police complaint saying the neighbour would make indecent proposals.

“The man had been harassing me on and off…. He keeps boasting of his political links,” the woman said.