A 33-year-old software engineer had a traumatic experience recently in BTM Layout while walking back home after dinner. Two men attacked him, stole his wallet and tried to forcibly take him to an ATM. He eventually managed to escape, but in the process got punched in the face. The auto drivers he caught up with near a mall refused to take him, rattled by his bloodied face and shirt. The police have filed an FIR and the attackers are yet to be caught.Anubhav Vishwakarma, a resident of BTM Layout II Stage is a native of Uttar Pradesh and works as a software engineer at a reputed IT firm in RMZ Ecospace on Outer Ring Road. The incident happened on Sunday night around 11 pm near 10th Cross of NS Palya.“I was just 300 metres from my house when the two men grabbed me from behind and tried to make me sit on their bike. From their conversation I gathered they wanted to take me to an ATM from where I could withdraw money for them,” explained Vishwakarma, adding that the two spoke in broken Hindi.He put up a fight, but they managed to take his wallet (containing Rs 1,700 cash) and mobile phone. “They asked me the PIN numbers of the debit/credit cards, but I refused to tell them. They started punching me on the face and I realised I was bleeding profusely from the nose. Eventually, I managed to run away. I must have run 400 to 500 meters hoping to find help,” he told BM.Near the Vega City Mall entrance, he found two autorickshaw drivers. He sought their help, requesting a drop home. But looking at his blood-stained clothes, they assumed it was a case of a major crime, and refused to take him.Vishwakarma checked to see if he was still being followed. Once he was sure that the attackers had left, he walked back home. Under severe shock, he could lodge the complaint with Mico Layout police only the next day.“The next day, I visited the spot with my friend and was told that the place is prone to robbery. In fact, just a few minutes before the robbery, when I took an alternative route, and not the one I usually take, a stranger warned me that there were robbers in the area. I should have paid heed to his advice, but I assumed BTM Layout would be safe,” he explained.The police have registered a case under Section 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the Indian Penal Code.“The attackers are said to be in the age group of 20 to 25 years. The entire attack happened within five minutes or so. We’re looking at CCTV images and hunting for the two men,” said a police officer investigating the case.