In an unusual twist on organized crime, two men — Shariq Abbas (25) from Barabanki and Suraj alias Bhola (23) from Lucknow — turned a luxury car into a getaway vehicle for a string of stealthy goat thefts across rural villages.
The arrests were made by Mohanlalganj police on Wednesday after complaints poured in from villagers in Lalumar and Debaria Bharsanwa, where goats had mysteriously disappeared overnight.
DCP South Nipun Agarwal revealed that the duo would scout locations during the day, marking goats left tied outside homes or roadside sheds. At night, they returned in a car, loaded the animals, and fled the scene before anyone noticed.
Their method was exposed after CCTV footage from local highways and villages helped police trace their vehicle. They were intercepted at Syed Baba turn, where police recovered Rs7,230 in cash — the proceeds of earlier livestock sales — and the car used for transportation.
According to ACP Rajnish Verma, the thieves sold some of the stolen goats in Haidergarh livestock markets in Barabanki. The duo operated with a “planned surveillance, swift execution, and silent getaways” approach, designed to avoid suspicion.
Police reports reveal Shariq Abbas is a repeat offender with eight prior FIRs in Gosainganj, Sushant Golf City, and Sarojininagar. Suraj also has multiple theft cases against him.
Their arrest highlights a growing trend of organized rural thefts using modern tools and tactics.
