Four interstate bag thieves held for thefts at New Delhi railway station
The action came after the theft of five bags from the A1 coach of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra SF Express at the New Delhi Railway Station on July 3. Police analysed CCTV footage and traced the suspects to a hotel in Paharganj.
Police said they arrested three members from the hotel and a fourth one from the Anand Vihar Railway Station. 'A fourth accused was arrested later from Anand Vihar Railway Station. He had operated across Bihar, Rajasthan, and Delhi, and is involved in multiple serious offences, including under the NDPS Act and Arms Acts in Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh,' deputy commissioner of police (railways) KPS Malhotra said.
The accused were identified as Amit Kumar, 37, from Vaishali, Karan Kumar, 27, from Begusarai, Gaurav Pathak, 33, from Begusarai, and Punit Mahto, 38, from Begusarai. They are repeat offenders, with involvement in theft, arms possession and narcotic smuggling, police said.
Investigators said the gang targeted blue and black bags, as they were harder to identify in CCTV footage and were less likely to draw suspicion. They posed as cloth traders, frequently transporting multiple bags to and from their hotel to mask thefts. Stolen items were hidden in safe houses near the Badarpur-Faridabad border, from where they were sold in grey markets.
'To avoid detection, they frequently changed phones, SIM cards, and used aliases during hotel stays. This clever deception helped them blend into the crowd and avoid raising suspicion, while successfully executing theft after theft. Recovered items include three trolley bags, four pitthu bags, five handbags, ₹47,000 in cash, and two mobile phones. Two of the trolley bags were matched to the reported theft,' the DCP said.
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