Four members of ‘Namaste’ gang held

New Delhi: Beware of any stranger who smiles at you and says “Namaste Uncle/Aunty ji” with folded hands, as you may be robbed at gunpoint by members of the “Namaste gang”.

The Delhi police on Thursday arrested four robbers after a brief gunbattle and claimed to have busted the “Namaste gang” that was allegedly involved in robbing commuters at gunpoint. The arrested were identified as Nasimuddin alias Khali, Sakawat, Guljar, and Naim, all relatives of each other.

The terror of this gang among the police personnel was such that station house officers (SHOs) were deliberately slowing down the traffic movements in their territorial jurisdictions by putting barricades on roads and checking vehicles. More than ten Delhi police teams were on the trail of this gang and were putting in efforts to bust it for over four months.

The four were caught on Wednesday following information that they would pass through Rani Bagh underpass in northwest Delhi on two-wheelers to commit another crime. A trap was laid and the suspects were signalled to stop after they were seen coming on two scooters.

“However, seeing police presence and noticing themselves as trapped, the pillion riders of both the scooters opened fire on the raiding party. Fortunately nobody was hurt and the robbers were overpowered,” said a senior police officer.

Explaining the modus operandi, an investigator said that the robbers often introduced themselves as members of the “Kanjhawala gang” and used Haryanvi dialect with the victim. Senior police officers said that the inspiration for this unique method came from a popular television crime show that the gang members had watched a year ago.