‘Mud-slinging’ gang of robbers arrested

The RCF police has arrested a gang who stole cash from people stepping out of banks by flinging dirt on them and snatching the money they were carrying. Of the six people in the gang, a 10-year-old child was also involved in the crimes. The police is now on the lookout for two accused who are absconding.

According to police, this is one of the oldest tricks of the trade, but it still worked for this gang from Tamil Nadu which has taken temporary shelter near Ambernath. Since March this year, the gang had stolen cash from people coming out of banks 12 times by flinging dirt at them. However on Tuesday, their luck ran out when a few alert beat marshal cops foiled their attempt to steal money from a car.

According to officials, on Tuesday, a 35-year-old businessman went to the bank and withdrew Rs 15,000. Mary Akalu (27), a member of the gang, went to the bank at the same time and started following the businessman. She informed two other members and her 10-year-old son, who was also part of the gang. The businessman had left the bank and just begun to drive his car when Mary’s son, Sanju Babu Akalu, threw dirt on it.

“The third accused then came forward and told the victim to clean his car as there was some dirt on it. At the time, the victim halted his car and started cleaning it when Sanju smartly stole the money bag from the front seat and ran away from the place,” said police officials.

“Beat marshal officials saw the boy with a bag in his hand, held him and started interrogating him. At the same time, his mother Mary came and told the police that her son was innocent and he thought there was something to eat in the bag. But the police did not let her go. After interrogation, the plan came to light as also the fact that the gang had committed so many robberies before,” said a RCF police official.

The RCF police has registered a case against four of the accused under sections 379 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and recovered the stolen cash. Two accused fled from the place and police is searching for them.