Stolen gold finds no buyer after note ban

NEW DELHI: Two members of a thak-thak gang were caught on Monday while trying to dispose of two of the three gold bricks they had stolen from a businessman in west Delhi.
The accused — one of them a juvenile and the other identified as Somu — told the police that they were trying to get rid of the bricks, weighing 1kg each, as following demonetisation they could not find a buyer to sell these off even at a lower rate.
On December 23, Rachit Gupta, a dealer of gold in Uttrakhand, filed a complaint, saying he had bought three gold bricks worth Rs 1 crore each from Janakpuri. While returning home, he placed the bag at the back of his hired Tata Indigo car. At 1pm, a motorcycle rammed Gupta’s car from behind on Pankha Road but he asked the driver not to stop. Soon, two persons on a bike overtook the car and signalled at him, suggesting some problems in the engine. The driver then stopped the car and both came out to inspect the vehicle.
Although they found black oil traces on the front side of the bonnet and fumes on it, no defect was detected in the engine. Both then sat back in the car only to find the gold bag missing. Gupta immediately informed the police.
A team, led by H S P Singh, ACP (operation cell, west district), was asked to investigate the case, said Vijay Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (west).
The probe revealed that the kingpin was from Madangir and the gang used to roam in bikes in a group of four to six people in search of a suitable prey. They included juveniles in the group to steal bags from cars.
Once identified, they used to hit the car with a bike from back, or puncture one of its wheels, or throw engine oil on the bonnet. Sometimes, one or two of the gang members even pretended to help the victim to keep him busy while one of the juveniles would steal valuables.
Later they would gather at a designated place to divide the stolen items, said a senior police officer.