The Delhi police busted and arrested the mastermind behind a gang of wedding thieves that operated in Dwarka, Southwest of Delhi. The gang used children between the age group of 9 and 15 to steal at weddings. These children were auctioned from villages in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra for Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh.
The children were dressed as wedding guests and would enter the wedding venues to steal money and other valuable items. After the police arrested the accused they seized Rs. 4 lakh in cash and valuables worth Rs. 8 lakh.
On June 19th, Manoj Choudhary, a businessman filed a complaint that money and gifts for his daughter were stolen from the marriage function hall in Bijwasan.
DCP Surender Kumar reported, “A team led by ACP (operations) Rajender Singh was formed to nab the thieves with the help of the local police and anti robbery cell. Similar incidents were also reported from other marriage functions in the adjoining areas.”
The police found CCTV footage that showed three people including the ring leader Raka (32) and two juveniles involved in the robbery.
The gang took their time with the robbery, they moved around the venue to get familiar with it. They even ate dinner and watched the cash and gifts, the gang then sent one of the minors to quietly pick up the money and then fled in an auto that was hired on an hourly basis.
The police tracked and arrested Raka from his house in Madhya Pradesh.
After Raka was arrested, he was questioned and revealed the names and location of his two accomplices, Neeraj and Kuljeet and the two children. He also informed the police that the children were brought to Delhi after the auction and trained to steal for a month. The gang had robbed seven weddings till they were finally caught.
Raka revealed about the illegal auction trade as well, explaining to the police that the children were rented from the parents for a year for an amount paid to the parents in installments.
