Drug and rob gang busted, four arrested

The city police arrested four members of a drug and rob gang from near Krishna Tower in Wazirganj area here late on Sunday night. The gang was active on bus and railway stations. Police also recovered Rs28000 cash, 180 Lorazepam tablets, nine cell phones, 18 carry bags, clothes and other articles.

Those arrested have been identified as Rahul, Ram Chandra, Subhash Chandra and Sudesh Kumar, all native of Sitapur district. The gang used to drug and rob passengers on trains plying between Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur.

However, after trains services were suspended between Lucknow and Sitapur in May last year due to conversion of metre gauge, the gang started targeting passengers at bus stations in Lucknow, Sitapur and Lakhimpur Kheri.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Deepak Kumar, informed that the gang had carried out more than 100 robberies at bus and railway stations. “For five years the gang was active at bus stations and railway platforms” Kumar told the media on Monday.

Informing about the modus operandi of the gang, the SSP stated that it used to identify passengers arriving in the state capital for job and would intermingle with them as co-passengers.

“After befriending with fellow passengers, the gang used to offer them cold drink, biscuits and other eatables laced with sedatives. After making them unconscious, the gang used to rob all the valuables and escape,” said the SSP.

The SSP also informed that the gang used to sell the cellphones robbed from passengers in other districts to escape surveillance from cops. Till date only one gang member, Rahul, had been sent to jail once.

During interrogation, the police cops also came to know that the gang used to deposit cash robbed from passengers in their bank accounts. According to police, Rahul had Rs1.5 lakh in his bank account and one of his gang member had more than Rs1 lakh in his account.

“We are in touch with bank officials for recovery of the cash,” said the SSP. Pankaj Singh, station officer, Wazirganj, carried out the operation along with senior sub-inspectors Jai Shankar Singh and Jagdish Chandra Pandey and other cops.