The CIA team of Mohali police busted a gang of thieves with the arrest of six persons, including two women, who had been stealing sanitary items and brass/copper utensils from shops in Kurali.

The accused were identified as Salim, alias Sonu, 33, of Rajpura and his namesake Salim, 20, of Rupnagar; Sikandar,21, of Rajpura; Mangal Prashad, 40, of Sector 7, Panchkula; Seema, 38, of Sector 56, Chandigarh, and Madhu, 40, of Dadumajra Colony, Chandigarh.

Police recovered 105 copper/brass glasses, 489 copper plates, six brass spoons, 53 brass plates, besides other expensive crockery, sanitary and hardware items from the gang.

CIA team led by DSP Harsimrat Singh Chhetra and in-charge Harminder Singh arrested the accused and solved three theft cases, including two at Kurali police station and one at Banur. The accused sold the stolen items to one Mangal Prashad, who was also arrested after investigation.

The accused stole sanitary items, including taps, shuttering plates, iron rods, from under-construction sites in Khuni Majra village.

The gang also stole iron items from a tractor-trailer shop; electric motors from the shops located on Kurali-Rupnagar road and from the shops in Majri, sanitary items and brass/copper crockery from shops on Kurali-Morinda road and stole electricity wires from a shop in Banur.

Police officials said while Sonu was earlier booked in 10 theft cases in Punjab, Salim and Sikandar were booked in one theft case each. Seema was booked in two theft cases including one in Sector 36, Chandigarh, and Madhu was booked in one theft case in UT. “We will soon arrest other members of the gang as well,” DSP Singh said.