Lucknow police have arrested eight members of a notorious burglary gang, including a woman, involved in multiple thefts across the city. The gang’s leader, Himanshu Tharu, also known as ‘Sanju Baba,’ was injured in a police encounter near Kukrail Bandha and is currently receiving treatment.
The arrested accused are identified as Akash Yadav (24), Rinku Kanaujia (19), Rohan Kashyap alias Shankar (20), Vikas Jaiswal (24), Rohit Tharu alias Changa (20), Vikas Yadav (26), and Manasi Sharma (23).
A joint operation by Ghazipur police and the Eastern Zone crime team led to the arrests, confirmed DCP East Shashank Singh at a press conference.
“Many of the accused have a history of theft and burglary across multiple police stations in the city including PGI, Indira Nagar, Chinhat, and Ghazipur,” said the DCP.
The gang’s woman member conducted reconnaissance by posing as someone doing odd jobs in the targeted houses. After identifying suitable targets, the rest of the gang carried out the burglaries and later shared the loot.
The gang mainly targeted locked homes in Indira Nagar, with over six theft cases reported recently at Ghazipur police station, resulting in losses worth lakhs of rupees.
Interestingly, the gang was known to hold “noodle parties” at houses they burgled, once even turning on the AC while enjoying snacks at a retired banker’s vacant home in Ghazipur.
The police breakthrough came after electronic surveillance and tip-offs. When police approached the gang near a graveyard by a Mazar as they divided stolen goods, seven were arrested on the spot. Himanshu ‘Sanju Baba’ tried to flee and fired at police, who returned fire, injuring him. He was then taken to Balrampur Hospital.
The police continue to investigate further connections of the gang.
