Ahmedabad: Surveillance, deception, and speed formed the backbone of a gang that allegedly stole Rs 50 lakh from a car in Krishnanagar. The gang allegedly shadowed people collecting cash from angadia firms, staged fake road accidents to stop vehicles, and struck within seconds. On Tuesday, the operation suffered its first setback when police arrested a woman and recovered Rs 25 lakh of the stolen cash.The alleged mastermind, Ajay Gangdekar, remains at large. Police suspect that Ajay, who is wanted in cases registered under the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GujCTOC) Act, heads the Ajuba Gang, which has around 31 criminal cases registered against its members, including cases in Delhi.His associate, Divya Gangdekar, was arrested after police traced part of the stolen cash to her.The incident occurred on June 27 when a 43-year-old medical wholesaler from Nikol and his nephew collected Rs 50 lakh from an angadia firm in Bapunagar. They kept the cash bag on the rear seat of their car and drove towards Sardar Chowk.Inspector V H Joshi said that the gang would keep a watch outside angadia firms for high-value targets. They would follow their mark on motorcycles with altered registration plates and wear multiple layers of clothing, shedding the outer layer immediately after a crime to disrupt tracking via CCTV footage.The incident occurred when the businessman’s car reached Vijay Park. “Ajay rode up to the vehicle and accused the businessman of causing an accident. He grabbed the 43-year-old by the collar, demanding money for ‘medical expenses’. When the nephew stepped out to intervene, two accomplices on another motorcycle smashed the car’s rear left window, snatched the cash bag, and fled within seconds,” police said.Police said the method matched the gang’s usual modus operandi. In cases involving two-wheelers, the gang allegedly uses master keys or specialised tools to open storage compartments. In cars, members either smashed side windows or cut the glass before grabbing cash bags left inside. The money is then quickly shifted through trusted associates, making recovery more difficult.
