Acting on a tip-off, the Vanasthalipuram police and the special operation team of LB Nagar Zone on Wednesday nabbed four of a Tamil Nadu gang for stealing Rs 58,97,600 from an ATM cash van three months ago. A sum of Rs 4.1 lakh in cash was recovered from them.
The interstate gang, infamously called the Ramjinagar gang, lures victims by diverting the attention of innocent people by placing 500, 200 and 100 rupee notes in front of parked vehicles and then steals money.
On May 7, 2019, the LB Nagar police received a complaint from one Shaik Mohammad Taha of theft from his ATM cash van near Axis Bank ATM in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad. Understanding the modus operandi of their work, the police zeroed in on the Ramjinagar gang who worked in a similar fashion in Thiruchirapalli. Though the Hyderabad cops traced the gang to their village, the members were reportedly absconding after committing the offence.
On August 14, police learnt of the presence of the Ramjinagar gang in LB Nagar. The gang was back in the city for committing another theft. A trap was laid and four members of the gang were nabbed and Rs 4.1 lakh was found in their possession. Three ganja packets weighing around 6kg, six mobile phones and a car were also seized from the gang.
The Ramjinagar gang usually consists of 10 to 14 members. After identifying a vehicle parked alongside banks or ATMs, the gang members would place around five to ten 500, 200 or 100 rupee notes near the vehicle. Another gang member would then tell the driver that his money has fallen on the road. As soon as the driver would get out of the vehicle to check, the other gang members decamp with valuables kept inside the vehicle.
The accused confessed to have been involved in several cases of bag-lifting and theft from vehicles in various parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. Police said efforts are on to nab the other 10 absconding members of the group.