Pratapgarh: A joint operation by the Kotwali Nagar police and the SWAT/Surveillance teams has led to the arrest of ten accused in connection with a daring pickpocketing incident at the Pratapgarh bus stand on 15 October 2025. Police say they recovered stolen goods, forged Aadhaar cards and implements used for break-ins.
According to the victim’s complaint, the complainant — a resident of Barua village, post Sangeepur — was returning home and had reached the Pratapgarh bus stand on 15 October when two unknown men on a motorcycle approached him. The men offered to escort him as far as Lalganj and requested that he keep his bag on the bus while they waited. One of the men grabbed the bag and the other distracted the victim; they then led him away from the stand and, at a solitary spot near Sukhalp Nagar, deliberately dropped the bag and sent the victim back to fetch it. As the victim stepped down from the vehicle, the motorcycle riders drove off with the bag.
The stolen bag contained ₹17,000 in cash and other personal items. An FIR was initially registered at Kotwali Dehat police station under case number MUA S O 292/2025 (sections mentioned in the original complaint).
Given the seriousness of the offence, Superintendent of Police Dipak Bhukar ordered an immediate investigation and formed specialised teams to work the case. The teams carried out continuous evidence collection, CCTV analysis and targeted raids with the assistance of the surveillance cell.
Acting on leads developed from footage and informants, a coordinated raid on Wednesday resulted in the identification and arrest of ten suspects. The operation was conducted under the supervision of ASP (East) Shailendra Lal and ASP/CO (City) Prashant Raj. The SWAT/Surveillance team was led by Amit Chourasia, while the Kotwali Nagar police team was headed by Station House Officer Neeraj Kumar Yadav. Sub-Inspector Ankit Srivastava and personnel from Civil Lines outpost — including Sub-Inspectors Anupam Tripathi, Akhilesh Pratap and Pushpraj Singh — were also involved in the operation.
Police recovered the following from the arrested group near the old railway goods warehouse in the Kotwali Nagar area: one screwdriver, one pair of pliers, 21 keys, around 230 grams of white metal suspected to be stolen, ten forged Aadhaar cards and ₹2,200 in cash (reported to be proceeds from tappebazi — pickpocketing). The accused were taken into custody and transported to Kotwali Nagar police station.
An FIR has now been registered at Kotwali Nagar police station as case MUA S O-552/25 under sections 313, 336(3), 340(2), 338 and 317(2) B.N.S. against the ten named accused.
During interrogation, one of the accused, Mohammad Mosim, admitted that on 15 October he, along with Mohammad Naushad and another person, had lured a man at the Pratapgarh bus stand under the pretext of offering a lift and then snatched his bag. Mosim told investigators the bag contained about ₹17,000 and that he and Naushad divided the cash between them; the ₹1,000 found on Mosim, and ₹1,200 on Naushad, correspond to that division. The accused also confessed that they manufacture forged Aadhaar cards — altering photographs and personal details — to conceal their identities and evade law enforcement after committing offences.
All accused reportedly admitted to earlier thefts at other locations and said they had planned to carry out further burglaries in the area on the night they were captured. Police say the recovered keys, screwdriver and pliers indicate intent to commit night-time thefts.
Superintendent Dipak Bhukar praised the vigilance of the surveillance unit and the rapid response of field teams for the successful unravelling of the gang, and said further investigations are underway to determine the extent of the group’s activities and to trace any additional victims. The accused remain in police custody as legal proceedings continue.
