Cops arrest two women, aid for jewel theft from commuters

Lucknow: The Krishnanagar police on Saturday arrested two women and their accomplice for allegedly stealing jewellery and cash from passengers boarding shared autos and tempos.

The accused were identified as Bindu alias Chinki (45), Geeta Devi (50) and Narsingh (25), all residents of Gorakhpur district. Police seized stolen jewellery and cash worth nearly Rs 6 lakh, besides an SUV.

Addressing reporters, additional DCP (South) Vasanth Kumar said the gang constantly shifted locations and stayed in rented hotel rooms or temporary roadside settlements to evade police attention.

“The gang functioned less like a conventional organised crime syndicate and more like a mobile family unit that moved from city to city. They frequently changed hideouts after every incident to avoid detection,” Kumar said.

Police said Bindu alias Chinki acted as the gang leader, while Narsingh drove the SUV to transport members between crowded locations. The women allegedly identified commuters, especially women wearing gold ornaments, before executing the thefts.

Explaining the gang’s modus operandi, police officials said, “Their strategy depended on chaos. As soon as a target boarded a shared auto, several gang members would deliberately rush into the same vehicle simultaneously, pushing and jostling passengers. Within seconds, chains, lockets and jewellery would vanish without victims realising it immediately.”

Assistant commissioner of police, Krishnanagar, Rajneesh Verma, who supervised the investigation, said the gang carefully planned escape routes after each theft. “The vehicle was usually used without a registration plate while travelling across districts. After every incident, the gang quickly shifted hideouts, making tracking difficult,” Verma said.

The gang came under police radar after three women lodged separate complaints regarding jewellery thefts near Avadh crossing and Krishnanagar over the past week. Investigators reviewing CCTV footage noticed the repeated presence of the same suspects around auto stands shortly before each incident.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to stealing gold chains and a mangalsutra locket from women commuters near Krishnanagar Metro station and Avadh crossing over the past month.

Police records revealed that Bindu had previously been booked in theft and robbery cases in Kanpur and Kushinagar, indicating a history of similar criminal activity.