After four years of absence, naked terror strikes again

Once dreaded by rural Delhiites for their modus operandi, the notorious Kachcha-Baniyan gang had ceased operations in Delhi almost four years ago because of the massive urbanisation the city has seen of late.

But they seem to have returned, striking at four different houses in outer Delhi’s Narela last Sunday.

While their return to Delhi has been established, it is likely that the same gang has been striking in some other regions of NCR.

Only in January this year, Deccan Herald had reported on a group of thieves who had robbed a house in Ghaziabad, eaten the food in the house and defecated before fleeing.

No breakthrough was achieved in the case. Victim Supreeth Sudhakaran said similar incidents were reported from the locality in Sahibabad within a month of the theft at his home.

“They stole, ate, defecated in the house and left,” he said.

“There is no obvious benefit the Kachchha-Baniyan gang derives from this habit. Earlier, they struck during early morning hours and needed to get done with their morning chores and chose the target house. When they got initial success, they considered it as good omen and began performing it as a ritual,” a police officer told this newspaper.
While this might appear ritualistic, the act of attacking only in innerwear – from which they derive their name – has some advantages.

“Clothes pose a lot of problems during robbery. They can be later identified by their clothes, they can be gripped and nabbed and can be detected easily during robbery,” the officer explains.

To give the ‘slip’ while escaping, the gang members also massage themselves with oil or mud.

However, of late, this gang has let go of several of these practices. “They now wear clothes, ride motorcycles and strike even in daytime unlike earlier,” says the officer.

Since they generally strike at rural homes on the outskirts of the cities, Delhi homes have become an unfavourable destination.

The presence of lights in most streets and people working through the night has forced them to abandon operations here and instead move to smaller cities like Jaipur, Dehradun and  Indore.

These gangs had their origin in a few villages of Madhya Pradesh but now belong to different areas of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

“They never ever stay in one place for more than six months. Gangs of 10 to 12 people set up dirty tents on empty plots railway tracks, bus stands, etc,” the officer says.

Wives and children of the robbers stay in their tents through the day while the men go and perform magic tricks or go from house to house to beg. This way they do a recce of the houses which they attack at night.

“Generally, they do not carry firearms or knives. Instead they break branches of trees and use them to beat up the victims.

They almost always thrash or tie up the victims to prevent any resistance. To neutralise any resistance from women, they brutally thrash the male members, even leaving some dead,” the officer says.

After every successful series of operation, the gang celebrates by sacrificing a goat or sheep for their goddess who they believe protects them.