Cop-attacking ‘taadpatri gang’ busted; six arrested

VADODARA: A fortnight after they attacked cops and stole valuables from a truck, the detection of crime branch (DCB) busted the notorious ‘taad patri’ gang’ and nabbed six members on Tuesday.
The police said that it arrested the accused on basis of a tip-off, while three others, who were with the gang, are yet to be arrested. “We had been on their trail immediately after they attacked a team of cops while fleing from the spot. We received information that the gang members were in Godhra following which we arrested them from there,” said Jaydeepsinh Jadeja, DCP (crime).
The accused have been identified as Musa Charkha, Zubair Charkha, Mukesh Nayak, Chandu Nayank, Hussain Hayat and Mehboob Chandaliya, all residents of Godhra in Panchmahal. Musa, who is the gang leader, has been booked nine times on charges of theft and robbery in different parts of Gujarat while Zubair has been booked for theft and attempt to murder by the Godhra police. The absconding trio include Amro Bhil, Alpesh Bariya and Ratna Meetha.
The police said that this gang had been operating in the state for the past many years. On February 4, the gang members had planned to commit theft in Mumbai but changed their plans at the last moment. All the nine gang members then zeroed in on the truck parked on the highway near Jambuva bridge.
They began shifting the boxes filled with cashews, wall colour, clothes and other eatables into another truck that they had brought. A cop patrolling in a PCR van got suspicious and approached them.
On seeing him and the police vehicles, the gang members quickly got into their truck. Assistant sub-inspector Rupsinh Baria asked his driver Dhanpalsinh Manusinh to stop the van right behind the accused’s truck.
But the truck driver reversed the vehicle and crashed it into the PCR van before speeding away on the highway towards Ahmedabad. While the police vehicle was damaged, two cops chased the truck and also informed the police control room about the incident. On the way, a few of the accused inside the fleeing truck pelted stones at the PCR van which left its windshield damaged.
Another PCR van joined the chase from Tarsali and tried to overtake the truck on Kapurai bridge. But the truck driver hit this police van too on the driver’s side leaving the second police vehicle badly damaged.
The cops, though, were in no mood to let up and followed the truck which turned towards Dabhoi at Kapurai Chowkdi. However, they had to return after the van’s headlights got damaged.
An offence of attempt to murder, assaulting to deter public servant from performing his duty and Damage to Public Property Act was lodged against the accused.