Thak-thak gangs ‘kingpin’ nabbed
NEW DELHI: Delhi Police officials arrested a 48-year-old man, who is the alleged kingpin of several ‘thak-thak’ gangs in Delhi and other states, from New Delhi Railway Station on Friday. Police officials said the accused was returning from Kolkata after collecting money stolen by his gang members there.
The police said the man, identified only by a single name Kanahiyan, was reportedly a “father figure” to other gang members and used to train new recruits.
The ‘thak-thak’ gangs operate at busy traffic signals and target car drivers who have valuable items like laptops in the car. The gang derives its name from the sound ‘thak- thak (a double knock)’ that is made when the thieves tap on the car’s window. As part of the heist, one of the thieves usually knocks on the car’s window to tell the driver that the vehicle has a flat tyre or there is a leakage in the fuel tank. While the driver steps out to check his car or is distracted, the other gang members then open the vehicle’s passenger side door and flee with belongings such as laptops, wallets and cellphones.
Bhisham Singh, deputy commissioner of police (crime), said the police recovered around ₹8.10 in stolen cash and a countrymade pistol from Kanahiyan. Singh described Kanahiyan as the leader of most such gangs that operate across the country. “Kanahiyan is a trainer and is referred to as ‘guruji’ by the other gang members. He was returning after collecting the booty and weapons from his gangs in Kolkata,” said Singh.
Police said Kanahiyan, a resident of Inderpuri, was in touch with ‘thak-thak’ gangs in several states. “Whenever any gang manages a handsome booty, or if a few heists lead to a good collection, then they would intimate Kanahiyan. He would then take a flight to collect his share of the money and fly back,” added Singh.
When Kanahiyan was not caught for nearly a decade, he gained the reputation of being an expert at this style of theft and became famous among the city’s gangs. “Impressed by his skills, the youngsters insisted that they be his disciples. This led to the formation of his gang. Soon many men and women joined him and he started delegating different roles for different members according to their skills,” said Singh.
Singh said the gang is so well organised that Kanahiyan also arranged for legal aid for other gang members and would take care of their families, if they were caught.
Police said that every gang under Kanahiyan has at least one woman member. Police said the women would help their male counterparts by faking an accident. “The women would come in the front of slow-moving vehicles and would try to depict a collision with the car. The men, pretending to be eyewitnesses, would then come and support the woman. They would engage the driver while another member steals the belongings from the car,” said Singh.