'Ouch, My Foot!' The Latest Scam on Bengaluru Roads Can Give Delhi's Thak Thak Gang a Run for Their Money

Picture this. You are bravely navigating Bengaluru’s infamous traffic to get to work, return from work, run errands or are simply enjoy an outing with family/friends one weekend. Suddenly, one or two people accost your vehicle at a slow turning, pick a fight with you on some pretext and try to escalate the situation amid your confused protests. In case you refuse to alight from your vehicle or refuse to roll down the window, they bang relentlessly on the panes until you are forced to leave the safety of your car.

Beware, you’ve just met the southern counterparts of Delhi’s infamous Thak Thak gang. Two notorious gangs – the Ooranthangalgolla Kuppam or the OG Kuppam gang from Andhra Pradesh and Ramjipura gang from Tamil Nadu – seem to be in action in Bengaluru.

Many have fallen victim to their tactics, the ultimate goal of which is to rob commuters. With several Bangaloreans sharing encounters like the above on social media, News18 spoke to police officials on the modus operandi of these gangs and how to make people aware of such scams unfolding in person and in real time.

One of the ways these gangs initiate an interaction is the old is-this-your-note trick after deliberately dropping a currency note. The latest seems to be to accuse a car driver or a biker of running over their foot or causing similar injury.

“There is a class of tactic called ‘attention diversion’, where these gangs try to distract the victim, especially in high-entity areas like banks or places that have high footfall like railway stations, malls, bus stations and even near IT offices. They drop a Rs 10 note or claim that the victim’s vehicle ran over their foot at a busy traffic signal and try to extort money from people,” explained a senior police officer.

‘You Ran Over My Foot’

A recent incident reported by a senior researcher based in Bengaluru has once again brought these gangs into focus. Narrating his experience on social media, Pranay Kothastane said that on July 2, he was waiting at a traffic signal in a high-traffic area called Queens Road when a man on a two-wheeler started alleging that Kothastane’s car had run over his leg.

Kothastane knew he hadn’t run over anyone’s leg, but still apologised profusely and managed to extricate himself from the situation. However, he was in for a surprise a couple of days later when he found himself in the exact situation at another major junction on St John’s Road.

“On July 4 (Tuesday) at around 5.30 pm, the same thing happened to me, this time on Wheeler Road near Thom’s Bakery. And guess what. It was the SAME guy again. What are the odds! (sic),” he tweeted.

“I stopped the car near a place where the traffic police were catching traffic rule violations. The two two-wheelers ran away as soon as they saw the car stop. I then went to the police officer and explained the situation. He told me this is a common fraud and that I should register a complaint. Since I couldn’t identify the number plates, I didn’t go to the police station. Luckily, I had a dashcam on my car and was able to identify the number plate of one of the two fraudsters.”

Most of these notorious gangs retreat to the outskirts of Bengaluru like Hoskote, Ramanagara or Hosur after committing crimes. Police officials add that “entire” OG Kuppam and Ramajipura is involved in such activities and the criminals are aided by their huge network of relatives.

Lawyering Up

“Interestingly, they also have a good set of lawyers who bail them out if caught or file for habeas corpus on their behalf,” another police official, who has tracked such gangs, told News18.

Since 2014, gangs from OG Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor have relocated to places across Karnataka. Gang members allegedly present themselves as domestic workers or construction labourers. Women and teenagers then survey areas and identify affluent families to target their homes. The gangs operate in districts like Mysuru, Huballi, Kalburagi, Gadag and Raichur as well, say officials.

Their MO is similar to that of Delhi’s Thak Thak gang, which derives its name from the knocking sound made by them to check if a vehicle has an occupant before breaking into it — these gangs of Bengaluru also have similar modus operandi.

Itching powder technique

Some gangs throw itching powder on their victims traveling in two or four-wheelers.

“They would have identified the target after watching them closely. If a person is seen wearing jewellery or carrying a laptop or anything that could be expensive, they would disorient them with this powder and loot them,” an officer said.

Some of them also use chemicals or paint sprays to stop vehicles and force the driver to exit.

Puncturing Tyres

This is a common tactic used especially on expressways and highways. A set of nails or small wooden blocks with nails protruding are laid down on the road. When a rider or driver unknowingly runs over it and realises the damage to the tyres, they bring the vehicle to a halt and that is when the gangs use knives to threaten and loot them. Laptop bags, mobile phones, cash and jewellery are their targets.

Oil Leaks or Spilling Fuel

Some spill oil or petrol mixed with oil on the roads. Vehicles that skid through and stop are then swiftly attacked. Some gangs flag down drivers and lie that their petrol tank cap is unscrewed. When the victim’s open the car door to check, the criminals bolt with any handbags in the car.

The Rs 10 Note Trick

This is the oldest con in the playbook, one where they ironically use the victim’s greed to trap them. A gang member would drop a Rs 10 note or Rs 100 note on the road and approach people, asking if it is theirs. When unsuspecting people bend to pick up the note, they snatch the victim’s bag and make a run for it.

According to the police, the gangs also learn these tricks from each other, cutting across geographical divides.

“The new trend is to apply oil on their bodies, especially arms and legs, so they can give pursuers the slip!” explained the officer.