JOIN USFive members of a gang involved in 105 cases of robberies and snatchings in south Delhi and Gurgaon have been arrested.
Police said clues from CCTV footage of the areas they operated in helped identify and nab the suspects.
The gang would execute as many as seven-eight robberies and snatchings on certain days.
Police launched a manhunt for them after they committed three snatchings within a span of one hour in Mehrauli area on Friday.
The local police scrutinised the routes adopted by the suspects while fleeing.
Those routes were surveyed for presence of CCTV cameras.
Footage from one particular colony threw up certain clues about the suspects which were further developed with the help of local intelligence, police said on Sunday.
It was learnt that a gang hailing from Jhinjhana in UP was behind the spate of snatchings and robberies.
Raids were conducted in north Delhi’s Burari upon which the five suspects were nabbed.
Nine gold chains and two motorcycles allegedly used in the crimes were seized from them, said police.
They have confessed to their involvement in 105 such cases registered in south Delhi police stations and those in Gurgaon.
Targetting pedestrians
The gang would begin the day early and operate between 6 am and 9.30 am to be able to target people walking by the roadside.
They ensured they targeted only those middle-aged and old women who walked alone. “In the early mornings they committed snatchings near religious places and schools,” said police.
The afternoons were reserved for office-goers as they waited near bus stands and offices.
Their evening shift would be between 5.30 pm and 9.30 pm as they snatched from those visiting markets or returning home, said the police statement.
They would then return to their rented accommodations via different routes. “Their receivers would be contacted through phone and they would meet at a pre-designated place to dispose of the robbed items. The meeting place would change from time to time,” said police.