Delhi Police on Thursday arrested two most wanted criminals who cheated senior citizens of their cash and valuables by posing as senior officials from the Crime Branch and the Central Bureau of Investigation. By concocting a story that a killer is on the run, the accused who wore safari suits apprpoached the victims, usually elderly men and women travelling by train and asked them to hand over their valuables to these fake officials. The accused confessed that they were inspired by the bollywood movie Special 26 to commit such crimes.
Police have arrested two suspected members of the Irani gang. One of the accused is wanted in a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) case by the Mumbai Police.
Senior police official said that the gang members used to target elderly people, mostly women or people walking down a lonely street.
One of them used to approach the victim posing as a policeman and narrate a story about a murderer or a notorious robber or chain-snatcher being on the prowl in the area. Another member of the gang would then arrive at the spot wearing a gold chain and he too would be cautioned by the fake policeman against wearing gold. The person cautioned would then hand over his gold chain and watch to the fake officer.
In most cases, the unsuspecting victim would follow suit and hand over all of her valuables to the fake policeman, who would wrap them in a cover and return the same to the owner. In reality, while talking to the victim, the accused would replace the jewellery with cheap imitations and if there was currency, they would show the victim that they are wrapping it for safekeep and return to them. By the time the victim would realise that she had been conned, the accused would disappear from the spot.
DCP Jatin Narwal said that there are about 40 active members of this team. A team comprising four persons usually commits the crime in one place and then move to other areas. Thereafter, their accomplices strike in that particular area so that people are not able to recognise them.
The gang leader of Irani gang, Naasir Hafiz Khan, was arrested in April by police. On June 21, when Chanderpal, a resident of Ghaziabad, UP, was going on SPM Marg towards Kodiya Pul, man beckoned him, said the DCP. The man took him to three persons, who were standing at about a distance of 10-15 yards. One of them was being referred to Sahab who told Chanderpal that they are from the Delhi Police and needed to check his bag.
He felt suspicious about them and refused to get his bag checked by them. They tried to snatch his bag but could not succeed.
The police, who had been keeping a track of the gang, were informed and nabbed two of the accused, following a brief chase.
The other two fled from the spot. The accused were identified as Hasan Aziz Sayyad (19) and Amjad Sameer (42). Sayyad is wanted in MCOCA case in Mumbai. Sameer was arrested in a MCOCA case last year and is currently out on bail.