Kingpins of gang using new faces for different crimes

NEW DELHI: Gangs operating inside trains often change their modus operandi. They are hiring new faces for different crimes inside the lifeline which connects several states across the country. The following revelations were made during a police investigation upon busting a gang. The accused claimed that they were involved in more than 25 criminal cases on passenger trains and for each instance, they used new youths. Recently, one more member was nabbed who turned out to be a vagabond.

Police claimed that the main purpose of the specific modus operandi was to hide the identity of the gang. The criminals gave 500-1000 rupees to each youth for committing crimes like snatching and thefts in passenger trains. The accused hired them from the Uttar Pradesh area. "During the investigation of a case, we arrested a person named Vikas alias Nepali from Delhi. He was involved in many cases of train robberies in Delhi and NCR," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railway) Dinesh Kumar Gupta. They had earlier arrested two members named Israr and Ankur. The investigation further revealed that the gang looked for youths who were unemployed. "These three were the kingpin and had the nefarious plan of hiring the youths who lived around Meerut and Hapur area. Taking advantage of the poor economic condition, they eventually lured them into the path of crime," added the police officer. They also lured vagabonds on the pretext of drugs.

The accused disclosed that prior to this, they had committed two incidents of snatching in a running train at Yamuna bridge (Iron Bridge). Apart from this, they had committed numerous robberies on running trains in Delhi and Ghaziabad. Accused Israr disguises his identity by wrapping the black cloth (patta) on his head and looked like a Sikh. Their arrests were possible after patrolling was done under Railway jurisdiction. RPF staff members had also accompanied the team who kept vigil on suspects in the moving trains. " To nab them, a massive hunt was launched at various places and the criminals having the same modus operandi were interrogated at length," added the police officer.