The Davangere Rural police have successfully cracked a notorious ‘Band Baja’ gang from Madhya Pradesh, known for carrying out robberies at high-profile wedding events by creating distractions. In a major operation, the police recovered gold ornaments worth Rs 51.49 lakh, though two gang members managed to escape during the raid.

The gang’s modus operandi involved attending lavish weddings and diverting the attention of guests to create an opportunity for theft.

On November 14, at the Apoorva Resort, the gang executed another theft. While a young girl performed a dance, the bag containing gold jewelry was placed on the floor, and the gang quickly escaped with it. The stolen bag contained 535 grams of ornaments. The gang members involved have been identified as Karan Verma and Vinit Sisodia, who are still at large. Acting on reliable information regarding the stolen gold, Davangere police traveled to Parorinagar in Madhya Pradesh, disguising themselves to track the suspects. The investigation revealed that the gang had conducted thefts in Kadiasansi and Gulkheda villages in Narsingh district of Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh. This operation highlighted that some local individuals had adopted theft as a profession, aiding the gang’s activities.

During the November 14 incident, the gang made off with 16 pieces of jewelry, including a 200-gram gold dabbu, a 50-gram Avalakki sar, a 60-gram long chain, four necklaces weighing 20 grams each, and two sar pieces weighing 30 grams. Most of the stolen items have now been recovered.

The search for the absconding gang members, Karan Verma and Vinit Sisodia, continues, with the Davangere police maintaining vigilance in coordination with Madhya Pradesh authorities. Davangere Police Superintendent Uma Prashanth confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, and efforts are being made to apprehend the remaining suspects and bring them to justice.