Bathinda, November 12
The police have busted a ‘lift and loot’ gang operating in Bathinda city and arrested five women and two men. The gang members used to take lift from vehicle occupants during late night and then take them to secluded places outside city limits before robbing them of money and valuables.
Addressing mediapersons here, Parvinder Singh, Kotwali police station SHO said, “A group of female members of the gang active around area adjacent to city railway station, bus stand and Santpura Road were stopping vehicles during late night hours to take lift and then they took vehicle occupants to secluded areas where male members of the gang awaited them. They shot videos of the occupants and threatened them of dire consequences, if they did not give money.”
“To bust this gang, a joint operation was launched by the Civil Lines and the Kotwali police. Mohan Lal of Ganesha Basti had fallen victim to the gang. The gang members had threatened to make his video viral if he did not pay Rs 5 lakh to them. They finally settled at Rs 35,000 as ransom. We carried out an operation in the area and caught the gang members red-handed. We have arrested two men and five women who are part of the gang, while two members, who are reportedly the main handlers of the gang, are on the run. They will be arrested soon. We have also managed to recover a mobile phone and money robbed from the victim,” the SHO added.
