Panchkula, Nov. 22 -- Police have arrested three accused allegedly involved in the kidnapping, assault and armed robbery of a taxi driver near the main highway in Ramgarh in Panchkula district on November 19. Police said the looted vehicle, country-made pistols and live cartridges have been recovered from the trio. According to the police, the complainant, Pankaj, a native of Sirsa, Haryana, currently living as a tenant in Kharar, was operating a taxi (Tata Nexon) when he received an online booking for a trip from Mohali to Ramgarh early November 19. Around 5 am, four persons - Rohit Dhiman, Satbir, Biddu Thakur, and a fourth accomplice named Hamza - boarded the taxi at Kharar, Mohali. The journey remained uneventful until around 6.30 am, when the vehicle reached a relatively isolated stretch near the main highway in Ramgarh. There, the accused instructed the driver to stop. According to the complainant, the accused forcibly pulled him out of the taxi and brutally assaulted him. During the attack, they brandished a country-made pistol, threatened to kill him, and left him at the roadside before fleeing with the vehicle. Acting swiftly, on November 20, a team of Sector 26 crime branch traced and arrested two accused Rohit Dhiman and Bittu Thakur, both residents of Sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh. The duo was held during raids in Paonta Sahib. A country-made pistol and four live rounds were also recovered from the vehicle's dashboard, based on the disclosures by accused Bittu. Interrogation of the driver revealed a crucial lead - the car had been booked through the InDrive app, and the mobile phone used to book the ride had been snatched the previous night in Chandigarh. This indicated the crime was pre-planned. During interrogation, police received information that two other members of the gang were hiding in Khizrabad, Yamunanagar, along with the looted vehicle. During a raid, the police arrested the third accused, Satbir, and recovered the stolen Tata Nexon (PB01C-8574), two country-made pistols, and six live cartridges. Police said the fourth accused, Hamza, is still absconding. The case is registered at Chandimandir police station under Sections 115(2), 304, 3(5), 309(6), 351(2) of the BNS along with Sections 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act. Police said the accused disclosed that they were planning to murder a local youth named Rishabh. To avoid identification, they needed a vehicle which was not connected to them, which is why they robbed the taxi. Their plan was to commit the murder while travelling in a stolen car and escape later. Police are investigating whether the accused are linked to similar robberies or vehicle thefts in Haryana, Punjab, or Himachal Pradesh. A manhunt has been launched to arrest the fourth suspect, Hamza....