NEW DELHI: They came seeking a bride and took away the ‘dowry’, at gunpoint. Cops have busted a gang of dacoits who placed matrimonial ads for their “bureaucrat son” and targeted wealthy businessmen with daughters to marry off.

The modus operandi was simple but novel. On the first visit, the gang would take stock of the would-be bride’s house and valuables. Then, on the day the match was to be finalised, they would come and clean up the house, holding the family hostage.

Police said the mastermind of the operations was a 60-year-old woman who played the part of the groom’s grandmom. Cops suspect the gang had looted half a dozen businessmen in Delhi and NCR. The crime branch finally busted them after they had targeted a wealthy trader from north Delhi’s Azad Market on November 12, joint commissioner of police (crime) Ravindra Yadav said.

“We have arrested Mohammed Sajid (26) and Jahida (60) for the crime. They belong to Meerut. We have recovered the entire booty of jewellery. We are trying to locate their associates,” he added.

The police swung into action after an FIR was registered in connection with the robbery at a north Delhi police station. It said the complainant had received a marriage proposal for his daughter from a family which claimed to be living in northeast Delhi. On November 12, groom’s side came to the house in the afternoon for completing the formalities. Among the visitors were four men, including the groom, and a woman.

The family welcomed the guests and offered them refreshments. As the family collected at one place to finalise the match, the guests suddenly whipped out pistols and knives and asked them sit in a corner. They threatened to shoot anyone who moved from his position and asked them to hand over their cash and valuables.

The family was then tied with ropes and adhesive tape stuck on their mouths. The gang ransacked the house, taking away around Rs 1.5 lakh in cash apart from jewellery worth several lakhs. They also took away all mobile phones and locked the house from outside as they left.

“Addl CP Alok Kumar was assigned to crack the case. On November 14, the team received secret inputs that two members of the gang belonging to Meerut would visit Anand Vihar ISBT to dispose of some stolen jewellery. The cops laid a trap and nabbed the two, including the elderly woman. The duo later confessed to their crime,” Yadav added.

They were identified as Zahida, who is known to harbour criminals in Meerut and has links with several gangs, and Sajid, a spice seller who allegedly moonlighted as a robber. The gang dealt with each case patiently and struck only when they were assured of rich pickings, police said, adding that the gang had been pursuing the Azad Market businessman since June.

The two also revealed the names of their accomplices in Meerut, whom the police are trying to nab.

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