By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Patna Police have successfully dismantled a major house theft gang, arresting five members who were involved in burglaries across more than a dozen homes over the last four months. Those apprehended include Raju Kumar Paswan of Naya Tola, Bakhtiyarpur; Avinash Rajak of Kadamkuan; Sunny Mehta of Chandi, Nalanda; and brothers Gautam Kumar and Suraj Kumar of Nursarai, Nalanda.
During the operation, the police recovered 118.498 grams of gold, 991.4 grams of silver, eight mobile phones, two land sale deeds, Rs 44,100 in cash, and an e-rickshaw. City SP (East), Shubhankar Mishra, provided details of the case during a press conference on Tuesday.
The gang operated in an organised manner, with specific roles assigned to each member. Two individuals would conduct daytime reconnaissance on e-rickshaws in various areas, and later at night, the gang would target these pre-identified homes for theft.
The gang’s criminal activities spanned areas including Kankarbagh, Chitraguptanagar, Patrakar Nagar, and Ramakrishna Nagar. In response to the rising incidents of theft in the eastern part of the city, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed. The team examined CCTV footage, which revealed crucial details such as the gang’s bike number and the thieves’ faces.
Subsequent police investigations led to the arrest of Rajkumar, who was living in a rented house in Gaurichak. His interrogation resulted in the apprehension of Avinash from Kadamkuan, along with stolen goods recovered from his possession. Both Rajkumar and Avinash confessed to selling the stolen jewellery to the brothers, Gautam and Suraj, who run a jewellery shop in Nursarai, Nalanda. All three, along with Sunny, were subsequently arrested.
According to the police, the gang leaders, Rajkumar and Avinash, had purchased land using the proceeds from their stolen goods, as evidenced by the recovered sale deeds. They also admitted to acquiring various other items with the stolen money. The thieves would frequently shift operations between police jurisdictions after each burglary, returning to the same areas to plan further thefts after a few days. Further investigations are ongoing, with the police obtaining information about additional stolen goods and the individuals to whom they were sold.
