Mumbai: Gang that targeted BEST bus commuters held; Chalo Cards recovered

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A gang of five members who targeted commuters in BEST buses was nabbed by the Mumbai Crime Branch. The gang had been involved in multiple cases of pick-pocketing, police said on Tuesday.

According to the Unit XII of the Mumbai Crime Branch, the officials also recovered four 'Chalo Cards' of BEST bus from the accused and have learnt that as many as 40 previous cases were registered against the gang members.

The police said, on October 17, the officials from the Mumbai Crime Branch's unit XII had received a tip off on the suspects. The officials learnt that the gang of pick- pocketers were present at Omkareshwar Mandir BEST bus stop in Borivali East. The police swung into action and detained the suspects. During interrogations the official found out that all the gang members had visited the spot to commit pick-pocketings. Following which they were placed under arrest.

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Those arrested has been identified as Rajaram Ramdas Patil, 40 (he has 13 cases registered against him), Abdul Qadar Shaha alias Chota Abdul, 50, (has 3 cases registered against him), Rafiq Vakil Shaikh, 44 (has 4 cases registered against him), Sanjay Prabhakar Trimbake, 45 (has 11 cases registered against him) and Mahadev Vasant Mane alias Madhya, 35 (has 9 cases registered against him). The cases are registered against the accused in different police stations of the city and adjoining areas, the police further added.

"An offence has been registered against them under section 401 of the IPC," an official said.