PO in MCOCA case lands in police dragnet

A 32-year-old man, wanted in a 2020 case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch from the Inderpuri area, officials said on Saturday.

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The accused, identified as Suraj, alias Michael, a resident of Madangir in South Delhi, was evading arrest for years. He was declared a proclaimed offender (PO) in December 2024 in connection with a case registered at the Ambedkar Nagar police station.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Aditya Gautam, Suraj is a known member of the notorious ‘Thak-Thak’ gang and has been involved in nearly 30 cases, including robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft and possession of illegal arms.

The arrest is part of an ongoing crackdown on the crime syndicate led by gang leader P Silva, which has been operating a network engaged in snatching, theft and armed robberies across Delhi-NCR. While several gang members had been arrested earlier, Suraj had managed to remain underground.

Following specific inputs, Suraj’s movements were traced to the Inderpuri area. He was nabbed on June 19 during a targeted operation.

During interrogation, Suraj revealed that he had joined the gang in 2013 and continued his criminal activities even after surviving a major road accident nearly a decade ago. He had relocated from Ambedkar Nagar to Inderpuri to avoid detection and kept operating discreetly, the police said.