Oji Kuppam gang is back?

Hameed Ashraf | NT

The notorious ‘Oji Kuppam’ gang of robbers which had given sleepless nights to the Bengaluru police and the residents has appeared again.

On March 7, a resident of Frazer town was carrying Rs 2.75 lakh in his scooter. He had parked the vehicle near a hotel to have tea. But when he came back, the seat of the scooter was open and the cash was missing. A complaint was filed in the jurisdictional police station regarding the incident.

While scanning the CCTV footage, the police found three unidentified persons stealing the money from the complainant’s scooter. “Their modus operandi is similar to that of the Oji Kuppam gang of robbers,” police sources said.

According to the police, the members of this gang were born and brought up in Kuppam village in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, hence they were known as ‘Oji Kuppam gang’ across the southern states. “They are known for their attention diversion tactics before looting their victims,” police said.

According to the police, there are over 60 groups that strike in the city, with Ramjinagar gang from Trichy, and Oji Kuppam gang from Andhra Pradesh, topping the list.

These gangs set foot in the city periodically for brief spells, and during their stay here, the number of cases increased up to 10 per week as compared with 1-3 on an average, the police said.

“The members travel by train, and mainly operate on the city outskirts, targeting senior citizens and middle-class people,” police added.