Man who used children for thefts in weddings held

New Delhi, July 03; A man who used children to steal money and jewellery at weddings has been arrested here, police said on Sunday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Surender Kumar identified the accused as Raka, 32, from Madhya Pradesh. He was arrested from his rented house in Pochanpur in west Delhi on Saturday.

Following a complaint, police analysed footage of the wedding and found that three persons, including two children, were involved in the theft.

After a tip, Raka was nabbed.

During interrogation he disclosed that a gang of criminals from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh, including children, were staying in Delhi, police said.

According to police, Raka said that children aged between nine and 15 years of age were bought in auction from Rajgarh and at times the bid even crossed Rs 10 lakh for a child.

After the auction, money was handed over to the parents and the boy would be hired for a year.

Once the gang selected a marriage, two to three persons, including children, would mingle with other guests and try to locate bags containing valuables, Kumar said.

Later, the children would steal the bags and hand them over to gang members waiting outside.

Kumar said a team of police officers had been sent to Madhya Pradesh to arrest the rest of the gang and those involved in auctioning children.