GHAZIABAD: A youth who could not make it big as a TV serial scriptwriter in Mumbai returned to Ghaziabad to enter the world of crime. A few months later, he led a “thak-thak” of eight members.On Saturday, Sunil Singh was among the nine members of the gang arrested for several thefts and robberies across Ghaziabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Bihar. Of the nine, eight are from Ahmedabad and belong to the Chhara community, notorious for their alleged involvement in crime. They had been living in a 2BHK flat in Vijay Nagar area rented out by Singh, who had gone to Mumbai 2-3 years ago to become a scriptwriter.The arrested gang members have been identified as Vishal, Surya, Sachin, Pankaj, Ajay, Nilesh, Prafful, Rohit, all residents of Chharanagar in east Ahmedabad. Singh is from Pratap Vihar in Vijay Nagar.Police said after Singh failed to make a name for himself in the Mumbai film industry, he returned to Ghaziabad and started handling illegal businesses of his brother-in-law Deepak Rahi. Sources said the writer was called back after Rahi was arrested and lodged in Tihar Jail.It was Rahi who would earlier interact with the thak-thak gang members from Gujarat. After his arrest, his wife allegedly asked Singh to handle the affairs of the gang in Ghaziabad.SP (City) Shlok Kumar explained the modus operandi adopted by the gang in NCR. “The gang would stand near the banks and keep an eye on people coming out with cash, mobile phones, laptops and other valuables. One group would then divert the victims’ attention on several pretexts, such as fuel leaking out of their cars or motorcycles, while another group would flee with the bag containing cash as soon as the victim came out of the vehicle. So far, they have confessed to their involvement in seven-eight such cases in Ghaziabad. More details are being gathered,” the police official said.“It is Sunil’s brother-in-law Deepak Rahi who was initially in touch with the thieves from Gujarat. After he went to jail earlier this year, he asked Sunil to coordinate with the other members. Sunil, along with Rahi’s wife, made arrangements for the group to stay in their rented flat itself,” the officer added.Police have seized Rs 1.5 lakh in cash from the flat where they stayed, apart from the various types of screwdrivers apparently used by them to break open the locks of cars and two-wheelers.The group of robbers from Ahmedabad moved from one city to another committing thefts, the police said. The SP said the gang members were from the Chhara community, once infamous for their criminal activities. At present, it is a denotified tribe.The Chhara community had been listed under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 as “criminal tribes”. The Act describes its members as those “addicted to the systematic commission of non-bailable offences”.

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