Eighteen people, including 14 women, were arrested for allegedly snatching gold ornaments and cash during a religious programme held on the Parade Ground here on
Sunday night.
The incident occurred during the 138th birth anniversary celebrations of Anukul Thakur, when a large number of devotees gathered on the ground.
According to police, the gang of 18, who had travelled from Bandel in Hooghly district, disguised themselves as devotees to avoid suspicion. During the event, they snatched ornaments and cash from devotees.
A complaint was filed at the Alipurduar police station and a probe was launched. Soon, they learned about the suspects and raided the Alipurduar Junction area.
“Based on the complaint, we have arrested 18 persons who came from Bandel,” said Srinibas MP, the subdivisional police officer of Alipurduar.
During the raid, the police also recovered 30 grams of gold and ₹1.3 lakh in cash. They are continuing the investigation to find out whether any member of the group has escaped and to recover all the stolen items and cash.
On Monday, all the 18 were produced in a court, which remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days.