Lucknow Police Bust Gang Using Thar SUVs to Kidnap and Rob Passengers; 7 Arrested

LUCKNOW: Lucknow police have cracked a gang that used Thar SUVs to kidnap and rob passengers under the pretext of giving them a lift. Seven accused have been arrested in connection with the crimes, which occurred in Sairpur, Sarojininagar, and BKTI areas.

Truck Driver Targeted in Kidnapping and Robbery
The gang had lured truck driver Hriday Narayan, a resident of Ghatampur, Kanpur, into a black Thar near the Haidil area on 31 January. Offering to drop him to Kanpur for just ₹100, they abducted him, tied him up, and robbed him of ₹60,000. Hriday was beaten when he resisted and later dumped in a potato field in Sairpur. The police recovered ₹40,130 in cash, two mobile phones, two pistols, two cartridges, and the Thar used in the crime.

CCTV Footage Leads to Arrests
Investigations involved reviewing CCTV footage showing the gang traveling via Kisan Path to Shaheed Path, where they altered the vehicle’s number plate. Based on these leads, police stopped a Thar with no number plate near the Lodhamau underpass and arrested Rishabh Goswami, Akshay Kumar, Alok, and Shubham Pandey.

Gang Used Travel Agency to Hire Thars
Further investigation revealed that Rishabh Pandey, a resident of Ruchikhand, Ashiyana, operated a travel agency called “Just Book Your Car” in Ratanakhand. The gang rented Thars from his agency for ₹5,000 daily, using fake or removed number plates to commit crimes. Rishabh Pandey also received a share of the loot and was subsequently arrested.

Other Robbery Cases Linked
Police confirmed that the gang had also robbed Fida Hussain from Kanpur on 3 February in Sarojininagar. He was forced into a Thar, robbed of ₹5,400, a mobile phone, a watch, and over ₹1 lakh via Google Pay, and later abandoned in Rania, Kanpur. Gyani and Ramsafal were also arrested in connection with this incident.

Criminal Records of the Arrested
SWAT Chief Shivanand stated that the three robberies in Sairpur, Sarojininagar, and BKTI have now been solved. The accused have extensive criminal records: Rishabh Goswami faces seven cases in Para, Gosainganj, and Husainganj; Akshay Kumar has five cases in Gosainganj and PGI; and Rishabh Pandey has one case in Vibhutikhand.