Gang's arrest solves 52 crimes, yields large booty

A gang of three believed to have been involved in 52 robberies, vehicle thefts and other crimes has been arrested. The arrests also yielded 337 grams of gold jewellery, 43 mobile phones, two motorbikes, a scooter and Rs 1.15 lakh in cash — all said to be spoils of the gang's crimes.

Afzal Pasha, 24, Afreed Khan, 23, both residents of JJ Nagar, and Praveen Kumar, 28, of Andhra Pradesh, were arrested after Upparpet police inspector C B Shiva Swamy launched an investigation into a recent mobile phone robbery. V Shekar, 38, a resident of Kumaraswamy Layout, was robbed of his phone by two men on a scooter while he was walking near the FKCCI building on KG Road, central Bengaluru, around 6.15 am on September 13.

Two days later, police arrested Pasha on the basis of his past record. He reportedly confessed to the crime and told the police about his associates. Police tracked down Khan and Kumar a few days ago. Police said it was Pasha and Khan who had robbed the phone while Kumar sold it off.

Police described Pasha as the "ringleader" and said he had a big network of shady people in Bengaluru as well as in Andhra Pradesh. Besides committing crimes on his own, he also got the job done by his associates.

Khan was arrested by Ashoknagar police two years ago. In prison, he befriended Kumar and they teamed up after getting bail. They mainly stole mobile phones and picked pockets. Khan's father, Fayaz Khan, is also a thief, police said.

Kumar would come to Bengaluru from his hometown in Andhra Pradesh and steal phones in Majestic, Market and other crowded places. He was also part of another gang that burgled homes and stole jewellery. The gang would sell off the stolen phones in Andhra Pradesh through Kumar and his contacts while the jewellery was disposed of in various parts of Karnataka, said.