Band, Baja, Baarat gang, which trains children to strike in marriage parties

Band, Baja, Baarat gang, which trains children to strike in marriage parties

 

Delhi Police have busted a unique gang of criminals, which used to hire children from 9 to 15 years for a year by giving Rs 10 lakhs to Rs 12 lakhs to their poor parents, train them to steal cash and jewellery from marriage parties in Delhi and its adjoining states.  

The gang members used to target big marriage party in the NCR (National Capital Region) of Delhi, send the trained children properly dressed as to the wedding venues and look for a proper opportunity to steal cash or jewellery. There another supporting team of the gang, which helped children to flee from the scene immediately after the crime is committed.

If senior officers of the Delhi Police are to be believed, the gang has committed several such crimes in Delhi and its area, most of which went unreported since people avoided reporting it to police until it is a ‘big theft’.

The gang leader, Sandeep alias Raka used to hire good looking children between 9 to 15 years of age from small villages of Rajgarh District of Madhya Pradesh ensuring their poor parents to pay Rs 10 to 12 lakhs per child depending on their skills for a year.

 

Once a child is hired, they are flown to Delhi and trained for a month on how to commit thefts at weddings and how to mingle with the people at the venue. They are told not to divulge their identity and that of their gang members in case they are caught," Delhi Police revealed.

 

The Children training include table manners, use of small-small English sentences, apprise them of urban lifestyle. The children are given costly party wear dresses so as they appear children of a rich family.

Side by side, the gang members also train them in the art of pick-pocketing and stealing costly jewellery during marriage party.

They were trained to dress well, mingle with guests, told to enjoy dinner and then wait patiently for a right opportune time to strike. “In a swift move, they stole the gift bags containing jewellery and cash and thereafter quickly vanished from the venue,"  Shibesh Singh, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Delhi Police explaining their Modus Operandi.

Even the gang members were not very old and were around 20 year age group. The arrested accused have been identified as Sandeep (26), Hansraj (21), Sant Kumar (32), Kishan (22) and Bishal (20)

According to Delhi Police, gang members disclosed they take children (9 to 15 years) from small village – Gulkheri, District Rajgarh of M.P on lease for one year from their parents for commissioning of a crime. Once a kid is auctioned, the money is handed over to the parents in two or more instalments.

A the kid is also made mentally and physically tough not to divulge his identity and that of his gang members in case he is arrested. He is also instructed to put on pretty clothes to attend the function and also eat the snacks to dispel any suspicion.

The supporting gang comprises adult men and women as well who usually stay in rented houses and drop the children off at functions and sometimes wait outside on three-wheelers and motorcycles.

The women gang members take care of the kids like their own. The real parents are regularly informed about the children's well-being.

The gang leaders admitted that they have committed five thefts in the area of Kapashera, Mayapuri and Moti Nagar in Delhi and three thefts in Punjab and Chandigarh. The interrogation is going on and police is hopeful to trace more such incident of the gang as 12 hours of police interrogation is not enough to make them divulge all the incidents.

Delhi Crime Branch formed a team of Special Task Force when it reported a lot of incidents in Delhi & NCR where a gang is committing theft at wedding venues during wedding ceremonies stealing bags containing Shagun/Jewellery/Cash.

The team started analyzing all the available video footages of the wedding ceremonies and deployed informers at various prominent Banquet Halls, Farmhouses, where wedding ceremonies are held, together with intelligence about the suspects. It zeroed in three suspects including two juveniles.

The video/ CCTV footage revealed the suspects before committing theft spent considerable time at the venues, making themselves comfortable and familiar with the guests.

They were never in a hurry, had their dinner there and patiently waited for the opportune time to strike. The STF team then started keeping a close watch on the movements of the culprits, who were found involved in the incidents previously with similar modus-operandi, especially, the gang which operates from Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh and laid traps at farmhouses and banquet halls where the wedding ceremonies are held. The team also visited the three villages in Rajgarh district of M.P – Gul Kheri, Sulkheri and Kadiya to identify the thieves involved in the incidents.

The team also tried to identify the culprits through electronic surveillance.  Efforts of the team bore fruits when, on Dec 2, 2020, a tip-off was received on which a raid was conducted and the team successfully arrested five accused and apprehended two juvenile offenders when they were leaving Delhi and moving for their village in M.P.

 

The details of the accused

1.      Accused Sandeep S/oJagdish, Age-26 Yrs, is a permanent resident of Vill- Gulkheri, PS- Boda, Teh- Pachore, Distt- Rajgarh, MP. He has studied up to fifth class. He has two brothers and two sisters. He is married and has two children. He is the gang leader and active in committing crime since 2010. He is proclaimed offender.

2. Accused Kishan S/oSikko, Age- 22 Yrs, permanent resident of Vill- Kadia, PS- Boda, Teh- Pachore, Distt- Rajgarh, MP. He is illiterate. He has one sister.

 

3. Accused Sant KumarS/o Dev Narayan, Age- 32 yrs, is a permanent resident of Vill-Gulkheri, PS-Boda, Teh- Pachore, Distt- Rajgarh, MP. He is illiterate. He has one brother. He is married and has three sons.

4. Accused Bishal S/oBhagat Singh, Age-20 Yrs, is a permanent resident of Vill-Gulkheri, PS-Boda, Teh- Pachore, Distt- Rajgarh, MP. He is illiterate. His father expired in his childhood.

5. Accused HansrajS/o Manohar, Age- 21 Yrs, is a permanent resident of Vill-Gulkheri, PS-Boda,Teh- Pachore, Distt- Rajgarh, MP. He is illiterate. He has one brother. He is married and has three children.

Ends.