Mumbai:
For Dinesh Yadav the popular Juhu beach is a place he will always dread. Earlier this month, he woke up at the beach, unwary of his location. He had been drugged by a stranger the night before, after having the biscuits the latter offered.
Now, he found himself face down in his undergarments on the beach. His cash, gold chain, ring, mobile phone, watch, three ATM cards, clothes and his shoes were missing. "We have registered a case under Section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison) and Section 379 (punishment for theft) of the IPC," said an official of Santacruz police station.
The conDinesh Yadav, a technician with a hospital in JVPD scheme, finished work at 5 pm on February 1 and decided to take a walk at Juhu beach. "After walking for some time, around 9 pm, I decided to have a cigarette and cutting chai. I approached the tea stall," said Mr Yadav. Soon a stranger in his 20s approached him and struck up a conversation. He then offered him tea and cream biscuits. "Initially I said no, but after a brief conversation, I accepted it," he said.
After 10 minutes, he started feeling uneasy. The stranger offered to drop him to his residence. "After getting in the auto, I blanked out. Next evening, I hazily remember waking up on Juhu beach," he said. Gathering strength with a fuzzy understanding of what's going on, he staggered along to the road and halted a rickshaw, directing the driver to his home in Golibar, Santacruz (East). After entering his home, he lost consciousness. His family members and one of his friends, Babloo Goswami, rushed him to V N Desai Hospital.
"He had lot of bruises on his body and was in a bad condition. He couldn't even stand," said Mr Goswami. Interestingly, on the day he staggered home, an unknown woman came to Yadav's house at around 4 pm and returned his Aadhar card, bus pass and three religious pocket books. Her employer had found it while taking a walk on the beach. "Next time I will think twice about going to Juhu beach," said Mr Yadav.