Thak Thak gang, a menace for police forces across India, was busted on Sunday with the arrest of its 48-year-old kingpin Kanahiya, who was coming from Kolkata in the Howrah Rajdhani Express, at New Delhi Railway Station.
Bhisham Singh, DCP (Cyber and FICN), said, “With the arrest of Kanahiya, we have busted the Southern module of the Thak Thak gang. “We have recovered Rs 8 lakh, a pistol and two live cartridges from his possession,” he said.
Kanahiya told police that his gang members usually target moving cars and distract drivers either by knocking on the window, puncturing tyres, pouring oil at windscreen at traffic signals or by staging minor accidents.
“While gang members distract driver’s attention, one of them snatch away bag(s) from the car. The female members of the gang play active role by obstructing moving vehicles,” the DCP said. In the aftermath of several cases where men or women made away with valuables from cars, the Inter Border Gangs Investigation Squad, Dwarka, received a tip-off about the movement of the kingpin. The DCP said, “A team under ACP Aditya Gautam laid a trap at the New Delhi Railway station and apprehended him.”
Kanahiya told police that he started stealing bags from cars at a very young age and mastered the act to evade arrest. “He became famous in his area for his expertise,” said the police officer.
Impressed by his talent, youth in his area made a beeline to join him in the act, said the officer. “Apart from men, several women joined the Thak Thak gang,” said Singh
The DCP said, “Kanahiya specified different roles for different members according to their skills and sent different teams to different States or cities. Every team included 2-3 female members.
Whenever the team managed to steal a hefty amount of cash or valuables like gold or laptop, they would inform Kanahiya, whom they fondly called “Guruji”. The mastermind would then take a flight, collect the booty and fly back to Delhi. The gang members were trained to disclose to their boss the location of the hidden money if they were caught by cops. On several occasion, Kanahiya arranged legal aid for his team members and also took care of their families.