Advani gang member, wanted in 28 cases, arrested

The Sector 17 crime branch on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old alleged gangster, accused of being involved in at least 28 cases of thefts in the city.

The Sector 17 crime branch on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old alleged gangster, accused of being involved in at least 28 cases of thefts in the city.

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According to the police, the suspect, identified as Shahid alias Polo, who is from Dhulawat village in Tauru, is a member of ‘Advani’ gang, which specialises in uprooting ATMs. The suspect was arrested from Nuh, they added.

As per his crime sheet, 28 FIRs have been registered against him, most of which involving ATM thefts, at 11 police stations in the city, the police said. He was declared a “bad character “ at IMT Manesar police station, where he was booked in 11 cases of theft in a span of five months in 2017. In police records, a bad character is a person who has a history of crime; one whose activities have to be monitored to ensure that there is no law and order problem in the area. The police had also announced a reward of ₹50,000 for information leading to his arrest.

In 2019, Irshad, a key associate of the suspect, was arrested by the city police from Sohna. Irshad was wanted in 33 criminal cases, including 29 cases of theft. After Irshad’s arrest, Shahid alias Polo had been controlling the gang and its operations, the police said.

The gang is named after an alleged criminal named Shahid alias Advani, who is also from Tauru and is accused in over 200 criminal cases, including 60 cases of ATM thefts, in several states. He was arrested in 2018 but had escaped the custody of Bilaspur crime branch. In June 2019, he was arrested by the city police. Most of the gang members hail from Mewat.

“The gang members conduct a recce of the area before targeting an ATM. They use a truck and tie one end of a strong rope to the ATM machine and the other end to their truck. They then pull the machine out of the ATM booth. After driving for some distance, they dismantle the ATM and loot the cash. Another modus operandi of the gang is to use gas cutters to cut open the ATM,” Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said.

A crime branch official, requesting anonymity, said the suspect and his gang were operational in Manesar, Rajendra Park, Farrukhnagar, Sadar, Bajghera, Badshahpur, Shivaji Nagar and Rajendra Park areas.

The police said Shahid alias Polo was produced in a district court on Wednesday and sent to police custody for two days.