BHOPAL : The Government Railway Police, Bhopal on Thursday busted an interstate gang of thugs belonging to the Sansi Community from Haryana arresting its eight members including the mastermind in the city. Police recovered cash and valuables worth Rs 10 lakh on the information of the accused. The seized goods were from the 12 incidents revealed by the accused while they have confessed of committing 30 more incidents in different states while travelling in different trains.
SP, Rail, Awadhesh Goswami said the gang members were involved in committing thefts on trains and mainly targeted cash and valuables from the bags of passengers travelling in sleeper and AC compartments. The thugs were so adept in committing crimes that they steal valuables within duration of 30 seconds to one minute. They formed human wall between the passengers and bags while the passenger was about to get down on the platform and after theft returned to their base. The accused used to travel in a group of 7-8 members on a single ticket. They travelled on genuine ticket and mainly targeted old persons, women and the passengers carrying number of luggage. They managed to get berths in two groups one near the engine and one near the guard’s coach. Then they used to move from one part to another of the train and conducted a recce of the passengers they had to target. They used to wear fine branded clothes so that nobody suspected them.
SP Goswami said that the kingpin of the gang, Sayyed Ahmed Shah Afareen alias Bobby, 38, hailed from Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, and was currently residing in the city at Laxmi Talkies area. He was earlier also nabbed in similar cases but always secured bail on medical grounds. He has connections with 7-8 similar gangs of Haryana.
The other gang members, all members of Sansi Community, hailing from Haryana, in their statements before the police, stated that Bobby called them and provided them shelter at his residence from where they were nabbed. His son Kaif and wife Kousar also aids them in committing the crime.
They arranged vehicles for them to travel to nearby stations and also travelled with them. Earlier the gangs nabbed by police in December 2013 and February 2015 also mentioned name of Bobby but he got out on medical grounds. This time action under National Security Act would be initiated against him.
The other accused have been identified as Satyabhan, Vedprakash, Satyapal, Dalbeer, Praveen, Sandeep and Ummed.
