Gang of thieves targeting train passengers busted in Ludhiana, four land in net

The arrested thieves were produced in a Ludhiana court from where they were taken to judicial custody

In a joint operation, local government railway police (GRP) and railway protection force (RPF) late on Wednesday busted a gang of thieves involved in cases of theft and snatching inside trains and recovered five mobile phones and two sharp-edged weapons from their possession.

The accused in the police custody in Ludhiana on Thursday. They were involved in a number of thefts inside the trains and were active for a while now, officials said. (HT Photo)

The security teams have arrested four accused, who have been identified as Deepak Kumar alias Dana of Rajasthan, Rohit alias Shooter of Ludhiana, Gulshan Rai and Abhishek, both natives of Bihar.

All accused, according to the police, are between 20 to 24 years of age and are habitual consumers of drugs.

Shooter, as per the sources, has links with notorious gangsters in Punjab too.

Inspector Jaskaran Singh of Ludhiana GRP said that Deepak, who is the mastermind of the gang, had been residing in Ludhiana for many years.

“The accused are hardcore criminals. Deepak was previously booked in a murder case by Division Number 7 Police in Ludhiana. Others also have FIRs registered against them under the Railways Act in the past,” the inspector said.

An RPF official said the accused were involved in a number of thefts in the trains and were active for a while now.

“We had received inputs that the accused were present near a warehouse shed close to the railway station and were planning to strike again,” said a senior security official.

“Our teams immediately coordinated with other officials and nabbed the accused. Stolen mobiles and sharp-edged weapons were recovered from them with which they even used to scare people off before robbing them,” the official added.

The accused were produced in a local court from where they were taken to judicial custody.

The gangsters have been booked under sections 401(punishment for belonging to the gang of thieves) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 25 of the Arms Act at the GRP thana, Ludhiana.