Inspired from TV show, kingpin of ‘Namaste’ gang is also arrested
On Tuesday, Delhi police have claimed to arrest the members of ‘Namaste gang’ who engage victims in a conversation and gradually get them to remove their jewellery on gunpoint. The arrested were identified as Nasimuddin alias Khali, Sakawat, Guljar and Naim. Along with the accused, police also arrested, Dinesh Kumar Soni, a resident of Faridabad, Who allegedly bought the stolen items from Chand Mohommad, who is also a member of the gang.
According to the police, the ‘Namaste’ gang was involved in over 100 cases in Delhi NCR and they are mainly targeted the senior citizens. Chand Mohommad, a resident of Faridabad in Haryana, also the kingpin of the gang, targeted several senior citizens by introducing himself as an acquaintance or friend of one of their relatives and would greet them with folded hands and seek for their blessings by touching their feet. He would then ask them to give him their jewellery on some pretext and from there. He has also hypnotized the victims, as in some cases they could not recall the incident.
“On October 17, a 70-year-old woman, Maya Devi from south Delhi was looted. She told the police that a man had come on a two-wheeler and greeted by touching her feet during the conversation. He then asked about the weight of her jewellery, he held the jewellery and fled away. On the same day another incident took place in Neb Sarai area,” said Atul Thakur, DCP (South Delhi). Several cases have already been registered against the accused. One of the victims also included a retired Indian Airforce officer from west Delhi’s Hari Nagar, he added.
“In some cases, After selecting their target, the gang started following the car. Two of them would ride parallel to the cars, pass smile at the driver and drive the commuter’s attention by saying ‘Namaste uncle’ with joined hands. The robbers pretented to know the car driver, who eventually used to stop the car. One of the two reached the driver’s side and the moment the driver used to roll down the window pane, he along with other associates would overpower him. They used to sit inside the car and rob the driver of his cash, jewellery and other belonging,” said Vijay Kumar, DCP (west Delhi).
The investigation has also revealed that the ‘Namaste’ gang was involved in such incidents since 2017 and over 10 Delhi police teams were on the lookout for the gang. Also, inspiration for this unique modus operandi came from a popular television crime show. While committing crime, they used to introduce themselves members of ‘Kanjhawla Gang’ and used Haryanavi dialect to terrorize and mislead the victim.
The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.