New Delhi: Two men and a juvenile from a Madhya Pradesh-based 'Band Baaja Baarat' gang were apprehended for allegedly stealing bags containing jewellery and cash from wedding venues, the Delhi Police said on Friday.
The accused have been identified as Sonu (24) and Kishan (22), residents of Rajgarh district in Madhya Pradesh, they said.
The kingpin of the gang lured parents of children age between 9 and 15 by offering Rs 10 to 12 lakh per year for using them in theft incidents.
Six cases of theft from wedding venues of Delhi, Faridabad and Ghaziabad have been solved with these apprehensions. One gold chain, Rs 63,500 cash, one bag and a car were recovered from the possession of the accused, police said.
According to police, a number of incidents were being reported that some gang was active in Delhi/NCR and stealing bags containing jewellery or cash at wedding venues.
On analysing the CCTV footage of the venues and video recording of the wedding ceremonies, three suspects, including one juvenile, were identified, a senior police officer said.
The suspects, before committing theft, would spend considerable time at the venues, making themselves comfortable and familiar with the guests. They would have dinner in the party and patiently wait for the appropriate time to strike, the officer said.
They then used to steal the bags containing jewellery or cash and escape from the venue.
During investigation, a tip-off was received on which a raid was conducted and three persons, including a juvenile, were apprehended when they were leaving Delhi and moving for their village in Madhya Pradesh, Special Commissioner of Police (crime) Rajendra Singh Yadav said.
The accused disclosed that they hailed from Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh and they visited Delhi/NCR and other metro cities in north India during the wedding seasons to commit thefts, police said.
The kingpin of the gang further disclosed that in their village, they used to lure parents of children age between 9 and 15 by offering Rs 10 to 12 lakh per year. Once the deal gets finalised, the money handed over to the parents in two or more instalments and the child was hired for theft for a year, police said.
After being brought to Delhi, the children underwent training for a month on how to commit thefts at weddings and how to mingle with the people at the venues. The kids were also trained not to divulge his identity and that of his gang members in case they are nabbed, Yadav said.
The kids were instructed to put on clothes befitting the function and also eat the snacks to dispel any suspicion, they said.
The gang comprises men and women who usually stay at rented houses and drop the children at functions and sometimes wait outside on three-wheelers and motorcycles. The women take care of the kids like their own. The real parents are regularly informed about the children's well-being, police added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)