Chamoli, Sep 12 (IANS) The Chamoli Police in Uttarakhand have invoked the Gangsters Act against an organised inter-state gang allegedly involved in pickpocketing and cheating pilgrims during the ongoing Char Dham Yatra, with the gang leader arrested from Devprayag.
The accused, identified as 26-year-old Sunil Kumar, a native of Bharatpur in Rajasthan and currently residing in Punjab’s Bathinda was arrested on September 11 following sustained technical surveillance and ground-level intelligence gathering.
According to the police, the gang took advantage of the heavy rush of devotees during the Char Dham Yatra and systematically targeted pilgrims.
The investigation revealed that the accused were not part of an ordinary or loosely connected group but were operating as an organised inter-state criminal gang.
A case was registered at Kotwali Shri Badrinath on April 27, 2026, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
As the investigation progressed, police established links between the accused and a wider organised network involved in targeting pilgrims.
Police had earlier arrested four members of the gang. They were identified as Krishna Kumar, 28, a resident of Punjab’s Bathinda; Diya, 25, a resident of Mor Mandi in Bathinda; Sunil Kumar, 26, a native of Rajasthan’s Bharatpur and currently residing in Bathinda; and Lalit Kumar, 31, a resident of Rajasthan’s Alwar.
During interrogation, police uncovered details of the gang’s activities and found that its members had allegedly targeted pilgrims not only in the Badrinath Dham area but also in Kedarnath Dham.
A separate case in connection with similar incidents has also been registered at Sonprayag police station.
According to the police, the findings in both cases established the organised and inter-state nature of the gang’s criminal activities.
Chamoli Police subsequently prepared a detailed gang chart and obtained approval from the District Magistrate before initiating action under the Gangsters Act against the gang and its members.
Police teams maintained continuous surveillance on the suspects and combined technical inputs with information collected on the ground.
The coordinated investigation eventually helped them trace the gang leader.
Based on technical surveillance, Sunil Kumar was arrested from Devprayag on September 11.
Police said the action is an important step towards ensuring the safety of pilgrims during the Char Dham Yatra and curbing organised criminal activities targeting devotees.
–IANS
brt/khz
