Siliguri, June 8: Siliguri police are losing sleep over teenagers making forays into organised crime.

The criminals, aged between 10 and 16, have organised themselves into gangs engaged in activities ranging from drug peddling to burglary. They steal motorbikes not only from parking lots but also by breaking into houses.

The gangs have devised a unique ploy. They visit a target’s house on some pretext — either as a salesman or rag picker — to make a survey of the scene before the strike.

Senior police officers said the criminal groups comprised mostly local boys. But sometimes, others from the adjoining areas of Bihar like Katihar, Golgolia and Kishanganj also join hands with them.

“We are investigating the Bihar links of these gangs,” said Siliguri additional superintendent of police Rajeev Mishra.

“We have information that a few gangs are active in parts of Siliguri and on its outskirts. We have launched a special drive to nab them,” a senior district police officer added.

Recently, the police busted a six-member gang, which provided them with clues on the modus operandi of the criminals.

During interrogation, the boys told the police about plans of vehicle thefts from some parts of Siliguri.

They confessed to having sneaked into houses and managing to flee with valuables. They worked independently and also in groups.

Police said Raju Das of Hyderpara, Raju Roy from the Iskcon Mandir area, Kartik Roy from Ghughumali, Gobindo Dey from Ettiashal, Biswanath Bhowmik from Fagdibari and Subhash Debnath from the Jaleswari area had teamed up to carry out several criminal activities.

“We have information that a group of teenage criminals is active in a posh locality of the town. We have intensified vigil in that area,” said another officer.

“We are working out some information on similar gangs operating in parts of the town. As part of our community policing initiative, we are holding meetings with residents to alert us if they come across these gangs,” he added.

That these teenage criminals often take people for a ride taking advantage of their age, is what the police are even more worried about.

“The lure of easy money in the trading hub of the region drives the boys to crime. They mostly come from lower income groups,” he added.

The police are also worried that these teenage criminals could be “used” by hardened criminal groups to further their interests.

“We have informed all the block police stations to be on a look out for activities of teenage gangs,” said a senior police officer.