Police in Uttar Pradesh have arrested seven members of a Maharashtra-based gang involved in multiple thefts at crowded religious sites. The arrests took place on Saturday evening after a tip-off led to the interception of the suspects near the railway station. The gang, which included five women and two men, was notorious for targeting religious events and using distractions to commit thefts, primarily pickpocketing.
Authorities seized Rs 26,000 in cash, a gold bangle, and a vehicle from the gang members’ possession. One of the accused, Jyoti Prasad, hails from the Kanhan police station area in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district. The gang had been operating across Uttar Pradesh, including the Dhanteras festival in Gorakhpur, where they stole gold ornaments from a woman in the Gorakhnath area.
The gang had also planned to target the large crowds at the Khichdi Mela at Gorakhnath Temple. They confessed during interrogation that they had spent six months in Ayodhya before moving to Gorakhpur to carry out their crimes. The suspects revealed that they took precautions, such as leaving their mobile phones behind and using vehicles for quick escapes.
Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Abhinav Tyagi confirmed the arrests and said the gang was under surveillance. “The Maharashtra-based gang, including five women, was behind the Dhanteras theft in Gorakhpur. Upon receiving intelligence about their return to the city, the Cantonment Police apprehended them,” Tyagi said.
Further investigations are underway to track down any accomplices and recover additional stolen items.
