: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested five members of the alleged “Dhol Baaz” gang, which was notorious for stealing at the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station by posing as passengers or auto drivers.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav said “dalli” or “dhol” was the code used by the gang members for the master key used to open the locks of suitcases. In one such alleged theft in October, accused Mashkoor and Vicky Choudhary posed as travellers and approached a woman outside the station, who was looking for an auto-rickshaw.
Tricked
“They told her that they would be going in the same direction as her, and it would be economical if the three of them shared an auto. After they sat inside the auto — the driver of which was Pramod, another gang member member — a fourth member of the gang boarded the auto,” said Mr. Yadav.
One of the accused then blocked the view of the woman, while others opened her bag and fled with cash and jewellery worth Rs.5 lakh.
While only two such cases have been reported, the police suspect that the gang operated on a daily basis.
Easy money
Interrogation of the accused revealed that they had resorted to stealing as they were unable to make ends meet and wanted to make a quick buck.
(The writer is an intern with The Hindu)
