High-flying gang of Char Dham thieves busted at Badrinath shrine

DEHRADUN: A gang of pickpockets — known as the “Pushpa Gang” — who travelled by air from Andhra Pradesh to reach Uttarakhand to target unsuspecting Char Dham pilgrims was busted at Badrinath shrine . Eight members of the gang were arrested on Tuesday, said police, adding 2 lakh cash, eight mobile phones and several ATM cards were recovered from them.

Police said the gang, led by Krishna Chhedoja from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, would take advantage of the heavy rush at the shrines and blend in with the pilgrims to steal their belongings after employing distraction tactics.

The gang would fly not just to Uttarakhand but also to other major pilgrimage sites in the country to steal valuables from devotees.

Police said the gang’s activities came to the fore after several pilgrims reported thefts during the yatra, including a case in which a devotee lost 48,000. Acting on these complaints, police, under the supervision of sub-inspector Sanjay Rawat, set up surveillance teams and personnel in plainclothes started monitoring the crowds. The police teams eventually zeroed in on the gang members.

Police nabbed the suspects after witnessing a woman attempting to pick a pilgrim’s pocket. Upon interrogation, she disclosed her link to the “Pushpa Gang” from Andhra Pradesh.

The arrested gang members include Krishna Chhedoja, Chhedoja Krishna, Temarla Sriram, Khammampati Gopi, Gujji Nagaraj, Rangarao, Uma Maheshwaram and Manikanta.

“Multiple complaints of pickpocketing were received from pilgrims visiting Badrinath temple. Surveillance was intensified and the suspects were apprehended,” said a senior police officer in Chamoli.

Police said crowd monitoring has been intensified to keep criminals at bay during the ongoing yatra.