'Thak Thak' gang member held from central Delhi

Elaborating about the modus operandi of the 'thak thak' gang, police said they used to identify and target those people who kept their mobile phones or cash on the seat of car. When the victim unlocked his car, they would swiftly take the mobile phone and cash and escape, they added.

A member of a 'Thak-Thak' gang was arrested from central Delhi's Kotwali area, police said on Saturday. The accused Mohammad Asif (31), a resident of Meerut, was involved in nine cases of theft, they said. On Thursday, police saw two men suspiciously moving around on a bike at an area falling under Kotwali police station. The moment they saw the police, they made a U-turn and tried to flee. While one of them was nabbed after a brief chase, the other person managed to escape, a senior police officer said. One country-made pistol, two live cartridges and a motorcycle were recovered from his possession, police said

During interrogation, the accused said he used to operate at crowded places and markets like Kashmiri Gate, Lahori Gate, Dariya Ganj among others, the officer said. Elaborating about the modus operandi of the 'thak thak' gang, police said they used to identify and target those people who kept their mobile phones or cash on the seat of car. While one person would try to distract by pretending that the victim had driven his car over his foot, the other associate would start knocking on the car's window. When the victim unlocked his car, they would swiftly take the mobile phone and cash and escape, they added.