GRP arrests seven thieves at Patna junction

Patna: The Govt Railway Police (GRP) on Monday arrested seven thieves at Patna Junction, including three members of an inter-state gang that posed as plumbers in Delhi to scout homes for theft and also targeted passengers on long-distance trains.

Police recovered gold and silver jewellery worth around Rs 7 lakh, along with stolen cellphones. The three gang members carrying jewellery were nabbed from platform number 10, while four others were arrested with stolen cellphones from platforms 2 and 3.

According to the police, the accused arrested with jewellery were identified as Mohammad Armaan (20), Aman Kumar (20) and Vivek Kumar alias Nepali (21). Those arrested with stolen mobile phones were Sunny Kumar (30), Monu Kumar (33), Pramod Kumar (25) and Rahul Kumar (19).

Rail DSP (headquarters) Bhaskar Ranjan said an intensive checking drive was underway at the junction when a few youths tried to flee after spotting the police team led by Patna GRP SHO Rajesh Kumar Sinha and RPF officer Satyendra Kumar. “The accused were surrounded and frisked, leading to the recovery of a large quantity of stolen jewellery,” he said.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that they conducted reconnaissance of houses in Delhi’s Sagarpur area under the pretext of plumbing work before committing thefts. They also targeted passengers travelling on long-distance trains from Delhi, stealing valuables and jewellery. The gang admitted to stealing jewellery from a house in Delhi two days ago and reaching Patna, where they were caught.

Police said the recovered items include four touchscreen cellphones, 42.37 grams of gold jewellery and 462.09 grams of silver jewellery. “Preliminary investigation revealed criminal antecedents of the arrested men, with cases registered against them at Patna Junction GRP, Airport and Shastri Nagar police stations. Efforts are on to trace other members of the gang,” the Rail DSP said.