Interstate gang of dacoits nabbed

Surat: Crime branch sleuths nabbed a gang of ‘Chaddi Baniyan’ dacoits on Monday. Those arrested have confessed of their involvement in 14 offences that they carried out in the city since February. The gang, infamous for carrying out violent heists, had recently attacked a man Jahangirpur area after he spotted the dacoits breaking in a house. The man has luckily escaped the deadly assault.
Police nabbed 10 members of the gang and recovered gold jewellery worth Rs 1.48 lakh, Rs 36,000 cash, eight wrist watches worth Rs 1.48 lakh and tools used to break into residences. The gang had carried out dacoities in different cities of Gujarat as well as other states.
“It is a big catch by police. The interstate gang is violent and has committed crime in different states,” city police commissioner Ajay Tomar told TOI.
Police informed that the gang, after choosing the city to be targeted, used to visit its different areas in auto rickshaws. In daytime, the gang members did a recce of the target houses on the pretext of selling balloons. After finalising the target, the gang reached the area during daytime and mingled in the surrounding crowd. At night they used to target the bungalow after 1.30 am and make escape before 4 am, police source informed.
The gang also used to eat food in the home if they found any. They had formed multiple teams to do the recce, to open the window grill, a team to keep watch outside the bungalow and one to keep watch on the connecting roads.
“The team on the road kept slingshots and stones with them to shoo away dogs. If they were noticed by someone they attacked them with stones to escape,” said police.