BENGALURU: North East police division arrested two men suspected to be members of a notorious inter-state gang on Saturday. The gang has been accused of robbing more than 50 persons including bank customers. The gang hailing from Ojikuppam village of Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, used to prey on people who withdrew money from banks. They diverted people’s attention by placing a note on the ground, for instance. As soon as the victim bent down to pick up the note, a gang member would make away with the bag in which the victim kept the money he withdrew from the bank.
The gang brought along with them, several spare dresses and shoes to change their attire after committing the crime, so as to evade capture. The arrested persons have been identified as V Suresh, (35) and Srinivasulu, (45). The duo had rented houses in Hegde Nagar, Hennur and Beguru to help their associates. They even bought second-hand motorcycles to commit these crimes. Police recovered 40 pairs of clothes besides helmets, bags, 10 mobile phones and 18 SIM cards from the duo’s rented homes.
North-East Division Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) S Girish said that the gang’s primary victims were bank customers. “They would divert the victim’s attention by deliberately putting a stain on their clothes or placing currency notes on the floor near them. One of the them would snatch the victim’s bag containing cash that was withdrawn.
The gang members would gather around the victim and pretend to help while creating commotion to allow one of them to flee with the money. More than 50 such cases have been reported in the city and AP in a period of a year and a half. A special team was formed to nab the gang,” the DCP said.