Cops probe thak-thak, gulel gangs to crack Jolly’s case

Delhi Police are looking at the role of the thak thak and gulel gangs of south Delhi to crack the theft of BJP leader Vijay Jolly’s laptop and camera.

The two gangs, police said, run their operations on the Delhi streets, especially near traffic signals. Police say thak-thak gang members flee with valuables from inside a car after knocking on a vehicle’s window. The gang’s name — thak-thak — has been derived from the tapping sound they make while knocking on a car’s window.

The gang also puncture vehicle tyres and use that as an excuse to distract drivers, while fleeing with valuables from inside a car.

Another gang, that the police suspect, is the gulel gang. The members of the gang use either a catapult or a sling to break open the windows of a car and flee with valuables. Police believe there are at least 200 gulel gangs across the city, who work separately. Officers investigating Jolly’s case are scanning CCTV footage of nearby signals because gulel gang members usually ride scooters to make quick getaways.

Senior officers said the presence of such street gangs cause theft cases to rise every year. “This is not organized crime, but different gangs that work independently,” said an officer.

In Delhi, while heinous crimes like murder, rape have decreased over the years, theft cases — especially those of wallets, mobile phones and valuables from cars — have been on the rise.