Seven members of the notorious inter-state 'Ghuman' (nomadic) gang have been arrested in Hyderabad and 14 offences they committed in Telangana and other states over the past few months have been detected, the police said on Tuesday.
A total of 150 gm of gold ornaments, 400 gm of silver and other valuables, all worth Rs 6.55 lakh, was seized from the seven, the police said.
The police said that the gang members, all native of West Bengal and presently residing in Maharashtra, committed eight house breaking offences in Hyderabad in October and November this year, and similar crimes in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
A special team using high-end technology and human intelligence information system worked for two months and visited six states and identified the movements of the offenders in Maharashtra’s Akola and in Shimla, Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat told reporters.
The seven were caught on Monday when they again came to the city and planned to commit offences, he said.
"They used to select a city and reach the city by train and choose an isolated area at the outskirts, visit it and conduct a recce to identify isolated colonies where semi-forest area exists with bushes," the police said in a press release.
The accused would then hide out in the bushes till late in the night and strike at houses after midnight, either by picking the lock or by breaking open the door with a boulder.
The families of the gang were nomadic, and they used to move from different states while the accused used to commit the crime by wearing minimal clothing, the police said.
"They used to remove their pants and shirts and keep the same in a shoulder bag because if they move with clothes, there is a chance of tear in the bushes, which would raise suspicion," the police said.