The Lucknow police busted the Potli gang and arrested a father-son duo, on Thursday, while working on a recent case of an elderly woman being duped of her jewellery in Jankipuram area.
“The gang used to roam in different areas of the city targeting elderly people by gaining their trust and disappearing with their valuables after giving them a medicine in Potli (small sack),” said DCP, North, Abhijith R Shankar, adding that the father and son were identified as Dubagga residents Maqdum Ali, 55, and Mohammad Qais, 30.
“The gang comprises their entire family numbering four to five people. They ride bikes and one of them approaches the victim in private and enquires about their health after spotting older individuals. They also tell them about the solutions they have for their back and knee problems.
“Once they had their trust, they instructed them to put medication on the jewellery they were wearing. They also requested that they take the jewellery home, wash it, and apply the medicine’s water to the area that hurts. The crooks used to cover it with the Potli,” explained the DCP, adding that’s when they swap the jewellery for a new Potli with stones and pebbles before fleeing.
The police said that the gang was busted while working on a case that happened in the Jankipuram area on May 27, where the bike men had duped the elderly. The police received information from the informer and the men were held. The accused used to live in a rented house in the Izzat Nagar, Dubagga area in Lucknow.
{{/usCountry}}The police said that the gang was busted while working on a case that happened in the Jankipuram area on May 27, where the bike men had duped the elderly. The police received information from the informer and the men were held. The accused used to live in a rented house in the Izzat Nagar, Dubagga area in Lucknow.
{{/usCountry}}The police have recovered ₹33,500, 27 Aadhar cards, 12 voter ID cards, three driving licences, one PAN card and two motorcycles from the accused. They used to get one Aadhar card made and keep the photo but change its number. Through this, they used to rent houses in the city. Additionally, they also get SIM cards issued against the Aadhar cards.