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Dumka, Sept. 5: Dumka police busted an interstate gang of thieves with the arrest of six criminals near city railway station last evening while they were hatching a plan to loot a local jewellery shop.
The arrested men belong to Bihar, with dozens of cases pending against them in the neighbouring state as well as in Jharkhand and Bengal.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided an abandoned place near Dumka railway station around 7.30pm.
The criminals were identified as Uma Hazra alias Mukhiya alias Gathiya, Kumud Poddar, Sanjay Bhagat, Rajvir Verma alias Pintu and Ajit Tanti alias Banarsi, all from Simultalla in Jamui district, and Dipak Soni of Ara.
The criminals are in the age group of mid-20s to early 30s, police said.
The police also recovered two countrymade revolvers, six live cartridges and four knives, besides six mobile phones and two motorbikes.
Dumka SP Hemant Toppo said Hazra was the kingpin of the gang and wanted in over two dozen cases lodged in Jamui, Deoghar and Asansol (Bengal) districts.
He came to Dumka recently and got in touch with Soni, who was staying at the house of his brother-in-law in Rasikpur locality.
Hazra, Toppo added, confessed to have been involved in the murder of Pramod Kumar Munna, a Deoghar-based reporter of a vernacular daily in 2007, along with another accused, Baleswar Paswan, who is in jail.
Soni, who led the gang with accomplices in Dumka, also admitted that he was involved in the murder of Sanjay Verma, a jeweller, in December last year. Soni and his aides had also looted cash and jewellery that Verma was carrying on his way home after closing his shop.
Soni told mediapersons at Toppo’s official residence today that the gang was planning to loot 500 grams of gold and 10kg silver from the jewellery store yesterday.
Toppo said more arrests were likely, as the arrested criminals were being interrogated to ascertain their involvement in cases in the neighbouring states.
He said that a few interstate gangs were involved in recent crimes, including murder, robbery and theft. “Residents must also stay alert and keep an eye on outsiders residing in town and inform police in case of suspicious behaviour,” Toppo added.
Dumka police have been under fire for failing to nab criminals involved in the murder of Vikash Bhalotia, a trader of Dharampur-Purnea village, at his residence on August 26.
Toppo, however, claimed the police would soon nab the gang involved in the murder and robbery.
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