Gang of daylight dacoits in police net

By Lakshmi Balakrishnan

NEW DELHI, JAN. 6. As gangs of criminals go, this one was different. It flouted almost all the rules that most such gangs would follow before striking at a target. Its members always operated during day, never forced their way into a house, and invariably walked away with the booty they had set their eyes on.

But this week-end luck ran out for the gang -- which has committed over a dozen dacoities in different areas of North-East Delhi during the past six months by posing as officers of the CBI and Delhi Police -- when five of its armed members were nabbed by Crime Branch officers near the Sarai Kale Khan bus stop.

Guided by suspended Delhi Police constable Ranbir Singh, who is yet to be traced, the gang used to target the houses of brick- kiln owners in North-East Delhi. While one member of the gang would gain entry into the targeted house by posing as a CBI or Delhi Police officer, the others would follow suit by claiming to be his subordinates. They always operated during day when women were alone at home.

Once inside, the gangsters would threaten the victim at gun-point and decamp with money and other valuables kept in the house. The prospective ``victim'' was selected by the gang leader Parvinder Kumar, Ranbir Singh and his cousin Perminder Singh. According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), Mr. P.K. Srivastava, Ranbir Singh was suspended from service two years ago on charges of murder and has been absconding since.

Familiar with the terrain and the targets, Ranbir Singh would tip off the gang about all the prospective houses following which Parvinder would plan the operation. The other members of the gang now arrested along with Parvinder have been identified as Sanjay, Vinod, Yunus and Joginder alias Rajbir Singh.

Acting on a tip that some of the gangsters would be assembling in Rajiv Gandhi Smriti Van near Sarai Kale Khan, a team of the Crime Branch Anti-Kidnapping Cell led by Inspector Narinder Chawla nabbed the five. Two firearms of .315 and .303 bore, a ``khukri'' and a rough sketch of the dacoity plan were seized from them. Stolen goods worth lakhs were also recovered. The gang had been active in Bhajanpura, Shahdara and Mansarovar Park.

According to the police, the arrests were vital as most of the gangsters were not listed in police records and had been targeting the same areas repeatedly with success. The gang leader, Parvinder, had been operating under the guidance of his uncle, Joginder alias Sonu, who is serving a term in Tihar Jail. The rest of the gangsters, too, were introduced to the trade by Joginder. While Sanjay, a science graduate, had been working as a chemist, Vinod worked as a driver before being lured in with promise of easy money.

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