Two members of an Iranian gang, which allegedly robbed shopkeepers of their cash and electronic gadgets, have been arrested on Thursday from Bilaspur, the police said.

Rajesh Kumar, the deputy commissioner of police (Manesar), said they had received more than six complaints from Manesar and Bilaspur in the last two months, of incidents wherein the gang members had duped the shopkeepers and fled with cash worth Rs 8 lakh.

“There are at least six members in the gang, including a woman. They target a shop or showroom and then engage the cashier. Two of them divert the attention of the cashier and the third person takes the cash from the counter,” he said.

A case under section 420 (fraud) and 380 (theft) of the IPC was registered at Bilaspur police station on Thursday, after a 32-year-old mobile shop owner alerted police that two foreign nationals had stolen cash from his cash counter and fled towards Tauru Road. Three police teams from Bilaspur police station chased the three gang members, who were in a Black Maruti Baleno and managed to nab two men.

The suspects were identified as Abbas Fiyouj (18) and Farzad Farokhi Khan (33) of Karaj in Iran.

Kumar said the gang members lived in a hotel in Karol Bagh and visited Manesar and Bilaspur twice a week. They had conducted reconnaissance of the area and had drawn a map of the market and shops.

Parminder (who goes by his first name), who owns a mobile shop at Bilaspur crossing, said he was busy in his shop when two men introduced themselves as Iranians and asked to see latest mobile phones. “I took out a few samples and was explaining the features that one of them said he wanted to have a look at Indian currency. I took out a ₹100 note, following which he said he wanted to see a bigger note. Meanwhile, one of the customers paid cash for the mobile he had bought. I was engaged with him when they took the cash from the counter. As soon as I realised it, I asked them to stop it, but one of them pushed me and boarded the car towards Tauru,” he said.

The shopkeeper said he tried to chase them in his car. They drove for more than 10 kilometres and the man behind the wheel lost balance and met with an accident. Taking advantage of the situation, the shopkeeper caught hold of them and a police team reached the spot within a few minutes.

According to the police, the gang has more than six members and they operate with a unique modus operandi. The gang members divided themselves in a group of three, with each member of the group having a different role.

“One of the accused fled the spot with a bag suspected to be containing cash and the remaining two were arrested from the spot. They have revealed a lot of details and their modus operandi. We have sent a team to Karol Bagh and formed teams to arrest the remaining members of the gang,” said Kumar.

Police said they had been working to nab this gang for weeks and had deployed sources in nearby areas.

First Published: Jun 21, 2019 03:22 IST