Even as a countrywide search is on to trace the armed bandits who broke into two houses in Kochi last week, the police now suspect the role of a gang based in Ahmed Nagar near Pune in Maharashtra led by notorious criminal Vikas Godaji Chauhan behind the incidents.
In a message to the officers of Ernakulam Range, Inspector General P. Vijayan said the gang had carried out similar operations in Thiruvananthapuram in consecutive days, besides striking Kannur, Kozhikode, and Mangalore.
The probe into those cases led to the Ahmed Nagar-based gang.
The gang, which operated with the help of informers, had eight to 11 members and targeted isolated houses beside railway tracks. They used to travel in trains and used only a single phone. They break window bars in full from beneath to gain entry into houses, besides using cello tapes, plastic coir, and weapons during operations.
Though Vikas was jailed in connection with a robbery case with the help of the Maharashtra police, cops believe that he is out of jail now.
As part of tracing the racket, police teams have been despatched to Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, the police have also sought the help of the Railway Police to trace the gang.
