Lucknow: Sitapur police on Wednesday arrested six members of a gang that posed as policemen to target unsuspecting commuters by seeking lifts and stealing their cash. The accused, who operated across multiple districts, were sent to jail, officials said.According to superintendent of police Ankur Agarwal, the arrests were made jointly by teams of Ramkot police station and the Crime Branch. The accused were identified as Sunny Rajput, Rajan alias Belua, Rohit, Brijesh and Rishabh Gihar and Kunal. Police seized Rs 20,200 in cash, five blades used for pickpocketing, a country-made pistol from Brijesh, and a vehicle used in the crimes. Efforts are underway to trace other members of the gang. During interrogation, the accused confessed that they wore police uniforms and maintained police-style haircuts to appear authentic. They approached bike riders and requested lifts, exploiting the trust associated with the uniform. Once seated on the motorcycle, they discreetly cut pockets using blades and stole cash. After committing the theft, they got off the vehicle on some pretext, leaving the victim unaware until later, said SP Agarwal. Police investigations revealed that the gang carried out several such incidents on Nov 27, 2025, in Maholi town. Rohit took a lift from a biker and stole cash before fleeing. Similarly, on Jan 30, near Gobarepurwa bridge on the highway in Ramkot, accused Kunal targeted a private bank employee and stole around Rs 40,000 using the same method. The breakthrough came after the bank employee filed a complaint. A team led by Crime Branch Inspector Satyendra Vikram Singh analysed CCTV footage, which showed the accused fleeing in a car and also captured bike-borne suspects. By piecing together these clues, police identified and arrested the gang members. Investigations revealed that all six accused are relatives and originally hail from Kannauj and Farrukhabad districts. They travelled to other districts to commit crimes, making it harder to trace them.
