Burglary gang busted, eight held

Eight members of an inter-district burglary gang were arrested and stolen goods worth Rs 10 lakh seized from them in Bandipora district of north Kashmir, police said today.
The gang was unearthed following interception of a SUV by a police party during naka checking at Bandipora, 55 kms from here, a police spokesman said.
The police party got suspicious after they found house tools like crowbars, hexa cutters and gas cutters in the vehicle and arrested its driver Tanveer Ahmad Beigh, a resident of Lolab village, for questioning, he said.
On his questioning, seven of his accomplices hailing from Bandipora, Sopore, Anantnag and Kupwara were arrested and large quantity of stolen hardware items besides fertilisers and pesticides worth Rs 10 lakh were recovered at their instance, the spokesman said, adding the gang was active in Sopore, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara and Anantnag districts.

"The gang used to operate meticulously, by stealing pesticides and fertilisers from the orchids of the farmers besides committing burglaries in the shops during the night.
"The stolen goods were sold at various places in Srinagar, Bandipora and Kupwara districts," the spokesman said.