DT
PT
Subscribe To Print Edition About The Tribune Code Of Ethics Download App Advertise with us Classifieds
search-icon-img
search-icon-img
Advertisement

Members of Maharashtra-based gang of thieves targeting religious sites held in UP’s Gorakhpur  

The gang had planned to target large crowd at Khichdi Mela held at the Gorakhnath temple
  • fb
  • twitter
  • whatsapp
  • whatsapp
featured-img featured-img
Photo for representational purpose only. iStock
Advertisement

Police in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district have arrested seven members of a Maharashtra-based gang that was involved in thefts at crowded religious sites, officials said on Sunday.

The gang members—five women and two men—were arrested on Saturday evening, they said, adding that police have seized Rs 26,000 in cash, a gold bangle and a vehicle from their possession.

The gang was notorious for targeting crowded religious sites across Uttar Pradesh, using distractions and deceit to commit pickpocket and theft. During the Dhanteras festival, they had stolen gold ornaments from a woman in the Gorakhnath area of Gorakhpur, police said.

Advertisement

The gang had also planned to target the large crowd at the Khichdi Mela held at the Gorakhnath temple.

Acting on a tip-off, the Cantonment Police intercepted and arrested the gang members from a spot near the railway station.

Advertisement

Those arrested included Jyoti Prasad, hailing from the Kanhan police station area in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that they stayed in Ayodhya for six months before moving to Gorakhpur to carry out thefts.

They admitted to committing similar crimes in other cities, taking measures such as leaving their mobile phones behind and using vehicles for swift getaways.

Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Abhinav Tyagi confirmed the arrests, saying, “The Maharashtra-based gang, including five women, was behind the Dhanteras theft in Gorakhpur. The gang members were on our radar and the Cantonment Police arrested them upon receiving intelligence about their return to the city.”

Further investigations are under way to trace other possible accomplices of the arrested accused and recover stolen items.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
tlbr_img1 Home tlbr_img2 Opinion tlbr_img3 Classifieds tlbr_img4 Videos tlbr_img5 E-Paper