A four-member gang of robbers, which used to target traders in the walled city area in Central and North Delhi area, has been arrested and Rs two lakh in cash, a gold chain and a motorbike seized from it, police said today.
The key member of the gang was Manikant (21), who was the 'spotter'.
"This man has a unique knack to identify people carrying cash and other valuables through their activities and body language. He used to pass on their description and vehicle numbers to his other gang members," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma.
"The gang used to target old people, those traveling alone and on two-wheelers. The other robbers used to follow them on motorcycles and committed robbery at isolated spots in and around Dariya Ganj, Gulabi Bagh, Kotwali, Civil Lines and Sarai Rohilla by threatening with weapons," he said.
The three others arrested have been identified as Ravi (25), Krishan Kumar (29) and Kishan (24), the police said, adding that all the accused belong to Inderpuri area.
With the arrests, the police claimed to have solved five cases of robbery involving Rs 20 lakh committed by the gang in the last four months.
"The gang was captured in CCTV cameras on two occasions. However, the footage failed to immediately provide much clue about their identities as they all had helmets on their heads and the number plates of their motorcycles had been partially covered with mud," said Verma.
"However, we got a clue in one of the footages where a part of the number plate were visible. Police narrowed down on 10 motorcycles and visited the homes of the owners.
"One of the suspects panicked on seeing the police and applied for anticipatory bail. This made us understand that we were on the right track and this led to the busting of the entire gang. A search of the house of one of the accused led to the recovery of a particular shirt and shoe which was clearly visible in the CCTV footage," said Verma.
Efforts are being made to apprehend their other associates, police said.
