Police arrested a six-member gang that targeted people leaving banks with cash. (Representational image)
Police today said they have arrested a six-member gang that would target people leaving banks with cash.
"The north-east division police have caught a gang that distracts the attention of people as they left banks with money," Bengaluru Police Commissioner T Sunil Kumar said.
The modus operandi of the gang, Mr Kumar said, involved visiting banks and keeping a look at the customers who withdraw cash in large numbers. Once a victim is identified, a gang member waits for the victim outside the bank.
The member then drops a currency note near the unsuspecting victim once he leaves the bank premises and tries to engage with the latter. It is at this moment that the members try to snatch money from the victim.
Police also released CCTV footage on the gang members. In the surveillance video, gang members were seen in the bank, talking to victims, parking the getaway motorbikes and acting as lookouts.
The gang members are from Andhra Pradesh, police said, adding that the gang had been operating in the city for the past six months. Police claim to have solved 30-40 crimes with the arrest of the gang members.
Meanwhile, two other gangs have also been taken into custody by the north-east division police - a gang of chain snatchers and another group of young men, including two college students who would attack remote gambling places or bars to fund their lifestyle