5 members of interstate train-theft gang nabbed

NEW DELHI: Five members of a notorious interstate gang involved in high-value thefts on trains were arrested by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch at IGI Airport. An anonymous source had alerted the Crime Branch about the criminals.

According to police, the accused were wanted in an FIR registered at Miraj Railway Police Station for allegedly stealing jewellery worth Rs 10 lakh from a Pune-bound train. On November 30, the Miraj Railway Police informed Inspector Daleep Kumar of the AEKC/Crime Branch that five suspects linked to the case were travelling from Goa to Delhi by air and were scheduled to land at IGIA. Acting promptly, a specialised team led by Inspector Amit Solanki and comprising SI Ankur Yadav, SI Ashok and ASI Sudesh was formed under the supervision of ACP Pankaj Arora and overall guidance of DCP Crime Branch Sanjeev Kumar Yadav. The team reached the airport, laid a trap and kept the suspected flyers under close watch.

The operation resulted in the arrest of the five wanted criminals — Hawa Singh (65), Amit Kumar (35), Kuldeep (34), Ajay (36) and Monu (32) — all residents of Jind and Bhiwani districts in Haryana. During the search, police recovered 177 grams of silver articles, allegedly stolen from other passengers during their travels.

During interrogation, four of the accused — Hawa Singh, Amit Kumar, Ajay and Monu — admitted to their role in the jewellery theft reported in the Miraj Railway case. They were arrested under Section 35 BNSS, and Maharashtra Police were informed of the arrests.

Investigators said the gang targets well-off passengers in AC coaches of long-distance trains. They usually travel across states by train and bus, stealing valuables such as gold jewellery and cash from passengers’ luggage. Police added that all five are repeat offenders involved in multiple train thefts.