AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

NT Bureau
Chennai, Jan 29:

        The arrest of the ever-elusive gang of the so-called grille thieves who were rounded by the Chennai police is just the tip of the iceberg as more such offenders on the prowl, according to Chennai Police Commissioner Letika Saran.

The arrested gang were from outside the State, rather out of the country - they were all Bangladeshi nationals, 11 of them so to speak. The arrested reportedly stole 1,358 sovereigns of jewellery and Rs 23 lakh in cash.         Addressing reporters here today , Letika said the accused identified as Swapan, Saha alias Liakat Khan, (42) Jahar Ali Khan (20), Sahin Khan (22), Lussar Sheikh (32), Anwar Purkait, (24), Abu Mannan (46), Ohidul Mataddar (23), Mijanur Talukdar alias Samar (36), Noonehara Bibi (33), Sagina Talukdar (33), and Karima Bibi, alias Fuchka (20).         The accused were involved in 79 cases of house- breaking where jewellery and cash have been stolen. In only two cases they have been found picking up electronic items.

Chennai Police Commissioner Letika Saran addressing mediapersons today.

        'Out of these cases, 66 have been registered in Chennai, Chengalpat East, Madurai, Trichy and Vellore since 2002. Of those arrested three of them were women'.

        The Commissioner said that 'the gangsters, all illegal immigrants, used to target locked houses and conduct thefts in the evening by forcibly opening the grill windows using screw drivers. Out of the eleven accused only two of them had proper passports and visas while others reached Chennai by train.

        'On receiving tip-off from Yadavpur in West Bengal, from where they launched the operation, a special team headed by Additional Commissioner S R Jangid went to West Bengal and nabbed the gangsters who frequently visited one of the accused house here.

        In Chennai, the gangsters operated from lodges and rented house on Ramaswamy Street, Thousand Lights', she added.

        Their modus operandi involved posing themselves as bedsheet vendors speaking Bengali and Hindi. They surveyed the residences during day time and commit the theft in the evenings by opening the grille fixed eithers in the windows or doors. Majority of thefts was committed in Chennai since 2002.

        The screw drivers, hammers and other equipment used for the thefts were also seized. However no cases have been registered against them in West Bengal so far.