Vadodara: In a shocking case of betrayal and cyber-enabled theft, an assistant professor travelling from Indore to Vadodara through a carpooling app was rendered unconscious by a co-traveller, who then stole valuables and withdrew money using his credit card. The accused, who went by the name Sukhi, has been arrested by Valsad Cyber Crime two days ago.

Kush, originally from Madhya Pradesh and currently residing in Vakratund Bless on Waghodia Road in Vadodara, works as an assistant professor at a private university. As per the complaint filed with Harni Police, the incident took place in May this year.

Kush had posted his travel plan from Indore to Vadodara on the carpooling platform Bla-Bla app, where Sukhi booked a seat. They began the journey together, and when the car reached Dahod at around 1:30 am, Sukhi allegedly told Kush, “You must be tired, let me drive.”

Trusting him, Kush allowed Sukhi to take the wheel. He soon fell asleep—only to wake up nearly 16 hours later, at 5 pm the next day, near Golden Chowkdi in Vadodara. Sukhi was missing, and so were Kush’s jewellery, mobile phone, purse, and credit card.

Investigations revealed that the accused had stolen Kush’s belongings and transferred ₹2.40 lakh using his credit card. In total, the professor suffered a loss of ₹4.02 lakh. The Harni police registered a case, and after investigation, Valsad Cyber Crime officials succeeded in arresting the accused.