Patna: Police on Friday launched a special drive against bikers' gangs operating in the city.

Personnel from five police stations - Pirbahore, SK Puri, Gardanibagh, Kadam Kuan and Kotwali - carried out drive against the bikers. Based on special checking drive, Patna police arrested 19 members of different bikers gang and seized five bikes, two pistols, cartridges, mobiles and ganja (cannabis).

Most of the arrested bikers' gang members were from the notorious Kings of Patna gang, involved in several criminal incidents. The police drive against biker gangs will continue in the coming days and will also extend to other police stations areas.

Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj said: "For the past few weeks, Patna police had received several complaints against bikers' gangs. The gang members, who roam around in expensive bikes, commit various crimes, such as stanching chains, eve-teasing and even group clash.

The SSP said most arrested members of the bikers' gang are school and college-going students and many of them come from well-to-do families. Many a time, members of bikers' gangs are also involved in group clashes, which turn out to be bloody.

Rivalries among bikers gangs came to the fore in the first week of August, when members of the Mines and Kings of Patna gang clashed openly on the roads. Members of both gangs fired at each other, triggering terror and panic among residents of Bailey road. Four youths - Subhankar, Abhishek, Piyush (all from Kings of Patna gang) and Subham from the Mines gang - were injured in the firing incident.

For Patna police, both Kings of Patna and the Mines group have become a menace as its members are involved in petty crimes such as chain-snatching, extortion, eve-teasing, theft and others.

The gang members have of late been creating havoc on the streets of Patna with their rash driving and criminal activities.

In order to expand their base, the gang members lure college and school-going students. They are even active on social media where they post sensational pictures or videos in order to terrorise members of their rival gangs.

On the direction of Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj, a special team was constituted to check activities of bikers' gang. During Friday's drive against bikers' gangs, Patna police came to know about a new gang, called Random, which is active in Gardanibagh area.