Reflect on this. Delhi Police is hot on the trail of a well-organised gang known as Kaan Tod gang. This gang is involved in several cases of thefts pertaining to side view mirrors of high-end cars.
This gang is active in North district and four cases have been reported in the last week alone. The incidents were reported from Model Town, Civil lines and Rani Bagh areas. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the gang members target expensive cars parked in posh localities. The mirrors fitted in the expensive cars sell for a premium and are priced between Rs 15,000 to Rs 50,000 depending on the models while the gang sold these mirrors at throwaway prices.
Investigations also revealed that the gang members first conduct recce in the area and after targeting their high-end cars in posh locality, they go to the areas in the early morning after posing themselves as rag-pickers. “After identifying the cars whose rearview mirrors fetched good money, they dress themselves as ragpickers and remove the mirror by sitting on it and pressing it down, by removing the screws if the car is parked in dark, and by applying force with hands which they call kaan todna,” a senior police officer said.
Police said it has come to fore the gang members are drug addicts and they sell these mirrors for nominal prices to the local scrap dealer to get money for their daily dose of drugs. “On January 12, Vaibhav Sharma, a resident of Civil lines approached police and informed that he had parked his two cars, Toyota Fortuner and BMW near his house but someone had lifted all the side view mirrors of his cars,” the officer added. On the basis of his complaint, a case was registered at Civil lines police station of North Delhi, but no breakthrough was made by the investigator.
Investigation also revealed that the gang was earlier active for many months in South Delhi, but first time they are operating in Northern range and lifting side-view mirrors of cars parked in posh colonies. “In one such another incident, a Delhi-based businessman, Harjit Singh, residing with his family in Gujranwala Town has lodged a complaint with the Model Town police station of North-West Delhi, alleging that some unknown person stole sideview mirrors of his Toyota Fortuner,” the officer added.