2 members of ‘Taktak gang’ nabbed

The Kandivali police on Thursday night arrested two members of the infamous Taktak gang in Gujarat. The group hails from Gujarat and travels every day on bike to Mumbai to rob Gujarati businessmen and angadias of northern Mumbai. The duo was produced in court on Saturday and remanded to police custody till coming Tuesday. Police officials said both accused are repeat offenders and have committed several robberies in Gujarat and Mumbai. While four other members of the gang, including a woman, are still at large and officials are looking for them.

A police official from Kandivali police said the gang is known as Taktak in Mumbai and Savda in Gujarat. Gang members ride on motorcycles and knock on car windows to tell persons inside that the vehicle’s tyre is punctured. When car owners step outside to check the tyre, the gangsters carry out their crimes and flee from the spot. Cases have been registered against them in Kandivali, Malad and Bangur Nagar police stations.

While officials refused to comment on the total amount of money and valuables stolen, they said they were checking all CCTV footage to nab the accused. It was during such a search that officials got a few pictures of the duo now in custody and ultimately arrested them from the Maharashtra-Gujarat border. The accused have been identified as Upesh Mohan Abhange and Ajay Alias Gopal Gagedkar. They would come to the city from Gujarat via Navi Mumbai and in Navi Mumbai, put bogus number plates on their motorcycles to avoid getting identified. “They used to come to Mumbai every day at 9 am and leave from here for Gujarat at 6 pm after robbing angadias via Ghodbunder road,\" said an official.

Police said the accused had sources to inform them about rich Gujarat businessmen and angadias and later did a recee.