Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police Tuesday busted a seven-member interstate gang allegedly involved in 11 cases of snatching and loot in the Capital city. The arrested men were using fake identity cards of several police officials to loot the valuables from unsuspecting morning walkers, said Twin City Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda.
Addressing the media, the police commissioner said the accused were identified as Sadekh Hussain, 56, Sabir Ali, 33, Fayaz Hussain, 36, Hassan Ali, 20, Abuzar Ali, 23, Zahir Ali, 34 and Rajendra Kumar Kushwaha, 32 – all natives of Madhya Pradesh.
Sources in the police station revealed that Rs 3.5 lakh cash, gold ornaments, a car, six cellphones, documents and other valuables have been seized from the accused. About the modus operandi, Panda said, “The gang used to target the elderly and women residents of the City when they step out for morning or evening walk. Two of the gang members would reach their easy targets with a motorcycle and introduce themselves as police officials by showing them fake ID cards. To further win their confidence, the miscreants would tell them that an incident of snatching had occurred in this area half an hour ago and pester them to hand over their jewellery for safety.” Once the victims deposit the jewellery, the gang members would exchange the valuables with small pebbles wrapped in paper (which they have with them) and hand it over to them, said the police commissioner, adding that they would tell the victims not to open the paper until they reach home.
Furthermore, Panda said during loot two members of the gang would approach the victim while the remaining four would be waiting for them on a motorcycle with the engine on. In case a victim hesitates to hand over the gold ornaments, the men would rob them at knifepoint, he added. As per the preliminary investigation, the gang members were found to be vagabonds who used to spend nights at roadside dhabas. The Commissionerate Police has registered a case against the accused under Sections 392, 34, 420, 419 and a host of other Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). They were produced in a local court for remand, said a senior police official.
DEBADURLLAV HARICHANDAN, OP