KURUKSHETRA, Sept 17: With the arrest of Naqli alias Chhotu near village Umri last night, the district police claim to have unearthed an inter-state gang of highway robbers. The gang is wanted by the district police of Kurukshetra, Panipat, Sonepat and Karnal.Chhotu, along with his accomplice, Phoola, had escaped from the Panipat Jail in May by breaking open the iron rods of the bathroom. The Panipat police were trying to catch him since then, police said.Superintendent of Police Yashpal Singhal revealed the modus operandi of these robbers. Their area of operation was usually the national highway.They used to stop trucks in the nights, by making one of them stand on the highway dressed like a woman. He lured the truck drivers and their cleaners to a secluded place at a short distance. Then the robbers used to beat them and escape with their trucks.In August, Chhotu's gang had looted a truck full of sugar bags worth Rs 2 lakh near Pipli. Yesterday, after receiving a tip-off from a reliable source, all six criminals were arrested. They were booked under Section 399/402 of IPC and were sent to police custody, Singhal said.Singhal has appealed to truck operators to be alert while driving on the GT road at night and inform nearby police stations if any suspicious persons ask them to stop their vehicles.
