Panaji: Police in Goa are on the lookout for a slippery gang of burglars, known as the ‘Chaddi gang’ for their quirky penchant of wearing nothing but underwear during their heists.
The police first caught sight of the ‘Chaddi gang’ while investigating a burglary in Navelim, a south Goa village about 40km from here last week.
“The Margao police were checking the footage of a CCTV camera installed nearby, when they saw four big-made persons wearing only underwear and knapsacks prowling near the house which they were trying to burgle,” police spokesperson John Aguiar said.
“Our enquiries have revealed that they do not wear clothes, so that no one can get a grip on them. They also apply oil to their bodies for similar reasons. All the belongings are bundled and thrown into the knapsack before the burglary,” Aguiar said.
According to police records, the ‘Chaddi gang’ has already struck five times in the jurisdiction of the Margao police station, in south Goa.
“We have five cases registered here. Although no arrests have been made, we have a recorded statement of one person who has actually seen three of the gang members during an attempted robbery,” police inspector Sudesh Naik said.
Police believe that the Chaddi gang may be responsible for more than two dozen burglaries which have taken place in Goa over the last one month.
Until about a decade ago, a ‘kacha banyan’ gang — whose members also oiled their bodies and wore only a vest and underwear — spread terror in Punjab and parts of Delhi until they were stopped.
