The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has arrested two men accused of conducting a string of thefts targeting sleeping passengers aboard luxury buses at night. The accused, Vishal Devipujak (21) and Karan Devipujak (23), both residents of Nadiad in Kheda district, systematically looted cash, gold, and silver from unsuspecting travelers across Gujarat and Rajasthan over the last six months.
According to police officials, the duo would board luxury buses without tickets, blending in with passengers. Once the lights dimmed and passengers were asleep, they would quietly rifle through bags, steal valuables, and flee before being detected.
The Crime Branch recovered gold and silver ornaments worth Rs10.26 lakh and Rs4 lakh in cash, totaling Rs14.26 lakh in seized property. Items included gold bars, bangles, earrings, chains, 20 silver coins, anklets, bracelets, rings, and other valuables.
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to multiple thefts. In one incident, about three months ago, they stole a gold chain, three rings, and Rs20,000 in cash on a bus from Mehsana to CTM, Ahmedabad. In another case, roughly two and a half months ago, they admitted to stealing a bag containing Rs15 lakh.
The duo’s modus operandi involved using the darkness of night and the silence of sleeping passengers to carry out swift thefts on both short and long-distance bus routes.
The case is registered with Kotwali Police Station in Pali, Rajasthan, under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused and the seized property have been handed over to Rajasthan Police for further investigation.
Police have also identified Ketan Bango, a resident of Indiranagar, Nadiad, as a wanted accused in connection with the ongoing racket.
