Gufa gang brought out of hiding

Six members arrested while resting in cave, police say they are drug addicts with criminal records

NEW DELHI, 07/04/2017: A Cave near the Chanakya Puri railway station which was used by criminals in New Delhi. Photo: V. V. Krishnan

No high-powered chase or Bollywood style drama preceded the arrest of the members of the ‘ Gufa gang’ that was busted in south Delhi’s Moti Nagar on Thursday evening.

Instead, the six members of the gang were found resting in the cave they used as a hideout.

The thieves — Santosh Gupta alias Ghoda (32), Virender alias Gadwali (30), Anand Kant alias Anu (26), Bablu alias Rajasthani (26), Raju (25), and Kunal alias Kuldeep (24) — are history sheeters with at least 10 cases of robbery, snatching and burglary, registered against each of them, sources said.

Hid loot in cave

According to the police, the accused are drug addicts who found the cave, which is located behind Smriti Vatika park near the railway line between Chanakyapuri and Sarojini Nagar stations, a year ago. “They found the cave while scanning the forest along the railway line for a place where they could consume drugs. They treated the cave as a hideout for the items they stole too,” said a senior police officer.

Tip-off received

“It’s difficult to spot the cave because it has a fairly small opening and is a little elevated,” the officer added.

The police found the cave after receiving a tip-off in this regard.

“Informers told us about the cave, after which we laid a trap and arrested the gang members,” he added.

Gang had informers

The robbers, said the police, were very cautious while looting houses.

In fact, they would use gloves to ensure that no fingerprints were left behind.

The police also said that the accused would visit sex workers, who acted as informers and told them about potential targets.

Recovery made

“They would beat up those men and steal valuables from them. But, such cases went unreported because the victims were worried about their public image,” said the officer.

The police added that the gang would commit thefts to take care of their expenses. The police have recovered ₹50,000, 10 mobile phones, two laptops, one Nikon digital camera, 13 imported wrist watches, diamond and gold jewellery worth ₹2 lakh, two motorcycles and a scooty from the robbers.