Ludhiana: A youth organisation has helped an elderly man who was robbed by an auto gang of Rs87,000 that he borrowed for the treatment for his son. Shaheed Udham Singh Organisation (SUSO) of New Madhopuri has helped the elderly man with Rs40,000 in cash on Wednesday.Shubham Arora, president of the organisation, said he came to know about the incident through a newspaper, and decided to help the elderly man. He said: “When I approached the elderly man, he said how he had borrowed the money for his son’s treatment of a heart problem. He also said his son was the only one who was the family’s breadwinner. After meeting him, I decided to raise funds for him. Our organisation has collected Rs40,000 for him. The total bill was of Rs1.35 lakh, out of which Surjit Singh managed to arrange Rs50,000. After our collection, we were still short of Rs45,000. Then, we approached minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu for help. He called the hospital authority, and got a waiver of Rs45,000.”Surjit Singh said: “I cannot thank these youngsters enough for helping me in such a tough time. I had lost all hopes. Today, doctors gave a balance slip of Rs1.35 lakh, as my son was supposed to get discharged. My relatives arranged Rs50,000, as I was completely penniless. These youngsters have come like angels and paid the due amount.”Arun Sharma, another member of the organisation, said: “Every other day, auto gangs are targeting passengers. However, the police are taking no preventive action to curb such incidents. Such cases should be resolved on a priority basis. Moreover, the police should keep a check on auto drivers, and their police verification should also be made mandatory. A huge number of people travel in autos and the active auto gangs are a threat to their safety.”On Monday, Surjit Singh got an auto from Bharat Nagar Chowk to reach the hospital. After him, two more accused posing as passengers, sat inside the auto. When they reached near the Police Lines, the accused started pushing the elderly man. Meanwhile, the auto driver said the auto had developed a technical snag. When the elderly man alighted from the auto, the auto driver escaped from there with his aides. On checking, the man found his cash missing.An FIR has already been lodged by Division 8 police station in this matter.

Stay updated with all the Latest Ludhiana headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.