A Hindu priest of the Sikh Temple in Nyeri town has been charged in court with robbery with violence and abduction.
The Hindu Priest, Sandip Bhatti, allegedly committed the offence on November 20, 2020, along the Nyeri –Karatina road.
Sandip Bhatti allegedly abducted Jaswaran Singh before robbing him of a sum of Ksh135,000.
Singh narrated that he was going back home from the temple when a friend by the name Gurprwet requested to ride with him.
According to Singh, the friend turned on him by threatening him with a knife then demanded that he stop the car about 100 meters from the town centre.
Bhatti along with two other men came to the scene and ordered Singh to move from the driver’s seat to the back seat of the car where they drove him to Gatitu town and then moved him to another vehicle.
“I could not see the number plate of the vehicle or the driver of the car as it all happened quickly,” Singh told the Court.
The Hindu priest allegedly asked singh to surrender all the money he had. Singh said he managed to convince his abductors to release him after he gave them the money.
“We drove all the way to Standard Bank in Westlands where I withdrew Sh30,000 after writing a cheque for Sh95,000 for Mr Bhatti,” he said.
However, the kidnappers forced Singh to add ksh10,000 before they requested a taxi to take him back to Gatitu area in Nyeri where they had left his car. He told the Court that he didn’t report the matter to the police because he feared for his life.
Magistrate Wendy Kagendo fixed the hearing date to March 5 2021.
