City Sleepless As Gangs Go On Robbing Spree

Cops burn midnight oil over crime surge as fly-by-night goons sneak into Delhi, strike big and flee back in hours

- Ajay Kumar

They live in other states, far away from Delhi. They have their unique modes of operation. They come here, commit robberies, snatchings, burglaries and thefts during their brief stay, sometimes lasting only a few hours, and flee back — often leaving cops kissing the hare’s foot!

A sudden emergence of ‘fly-bynight’ gangs is reported to have triggered a surge in street crime, causing residents in the National Capital to lose sleep and the police to scramble for new strategies to tackle the menace.

Some of the gangs identified by cops are ‘Thak- thak’ or knock-knock (they distract motorists on flimsy pretexts like a knock on a car windshield and flee with cash, laptops and phones) come from Tamil Nadu; Band Baaja Baaraat (they strike at weddings) come from Madhya Pradesh; Irani (the members’ ancestors were brought from Persia by Golconda kings to be their bodyguards due to their strong physique and tales of bravery) come from Maharashtra.

The police said that arrested members of these gangs have confessed to their role in over 100 cases that have taken place in Delhi in recent weeks. Interestingly, most of them weren’t heavily armed.

According to the police’s data, 22 cases of snatching and robbery take place every day in Delhi. This year, 6,003 cases in these two categories have been registered. In September, the city saw 130 robberies, 420 snatchings, 200 burglaries, 150 house thefts and 3,400 motor vehicle thefts.

‘THAK THAK’ GANGS