Bawaria gang's sophisticated chain snatchers caught

Five members of the notorious Bawaria gang which ran a sophisticated chain-snatching operation in the city has been caught by the police.

Bawarias are members of a nomadic tribe from Uttar Pradesh and are said to be involved in a range of crimes across India.

The five arrested suspects worked as a well-knit team and had neatly divided their responsibilities. Police gave their names as Rahul alias Sonu, Gaurav alias Tulsi, Nitin, Riyaz Ahmed Meer and Kamal.

This is how they operated:

The gang reached the city by air and rented a house in Gubbalala near Subramanya Nagar, South Bengaluru. They brought a motorcycle to the city by train.

Gaurav would ride the bike with Rahul and Nitin on the pillion. They would go around Vijayanagar, Magadi Road, Kengeri, Tilakanagar and other areas, targeting women wearing gold.

It was Rahul and Nitish who did actual chain-snatching. Gaurav made sure they escaped.

Back-end operations

Meer’s job was to reach Bengaluru before everyone, rent the house and manage back-end operations: doing household chores, buying groceries, vegetables and fruits, and keeping the motorcycle in order. Kamal did the cooking.

Besides snatching chains, the gang is also suspected to have burgled a house in Kamakshipalya.

After committing a series of robberies and thefts, the gang would leave the city by train to evade checks and frisking at airports. They sold off the jewellery in Delhi.

The arrests helped the police retrieve six gold chains weighing around 260 grams and valued at Rs 13 lakh, said a senior police officer.