Tak tak gang loots special metropolitan magistrate of Rs 1.3 lakh

Representation picture

A former Special Metropolitan Magistrate recently became the target of 'tak tak' gang in Marine Drive. On January 9, 60-year-old Ramdas Gupta, who is practising at the High Court, had left his bag containing Rs 1.3 lakh cash in the rear seat of his car.

While Gupta had gone to a coffee shop, his driver was sitting inside the car. This was when a man tried distracting the driver. When the driver opened the door, someone snatched the bag and took off. A complaint has now been filed with the Marine Drive police for theft.

In his statement to the cops, Gupta said, "In the afternoon, I was headed for a meeting in a coffee shop near Eros Cinema. My leather bag was in the car and my driver, Shreeram Kurmi, was also inside the vehicle when the incident took place."

"The driver had parked the car in front of Bank of India office on J Tata Road. A person approached him and said that a '100 note had fallen on the ground. When the driver stepped out of the vehicle, the bag had already been stolen," Gupta added.

The cops have registered a case of theft under Section 379 of the IPC against an unknown person. So far, the cops haven't found any leads against the perpetrator. An officer attached to Marine Drive police station, requesting anonymity, said, "We have procured CCTV footage from and are trying to identify the culprits. We have also activated our network of informers to get some clues."

What is tak tak gang
The tak tak gang diverts attention of motorists or passengers to steal valuables such as mobile phones and laptop bags kept in the car. One of the gang members comes and knocks the window of the car (hence, tak tak), tells the motorist that something has fallen down and steals valuables. The gang consists of more than four people; one keeps an eye on the target; one approaches the car; third person immediately opens the door and loots valuables; and the fourth one immediately diverts the motorist's attention.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates