Mumbai: The Government Railway Police (GRP) crime branch Special Task Force (STF) busted a gang of robbers and arrested three persons who targeted commuters during peak hours and snatched their valuables. The officials said that the accused would rob their valuables after keeping a watch on them at bus stations like Badlapur, Dombivli, Kalyan. The police have recovered valuables worth Rs 1.10 lakh.

The arrested accused were identified as Ruhul Laskar (39), Safiq Gayan (33) and Aziz-ul-Laskar (32), all residents of the Shanti Nagar slum encroachment in the Mafatlal Mill Compound in Kalwa. The police said that after several complaints of snatchings and thefts, the STF began investigation in the cases and started scanning the CCTV camera footage of the concerned stations.

“Subsequently, the officials identified some suspects whose faces were also spotted in the footage of other stations, further strengthening the suspicion,” said an officer of GRP crime branch.

The officials said that they further scanned the footage and found the routes accused took to enter the station premises. The officials also learnt that they resided at Kalwa. A team of STF nabbed them from their residences following which they revealed name of Aalam, who they claimed to have hatched the plan.

Police said that Ruhul Laskar would spot the target and alert them. They would use their backpacks to close up and push the target while covering him from all sides. Laskar would snatch the chain and escape, whereas the trio would board the train with him and flee.

The police have also seized a lighter that they used to melt the chain and sell the small pieces of gold separately. Total four cases have been solved with their arrest.