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A gang of mobile phone thieves in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, has made headlines for offering an “employee-friendly work environment”.
This well-organised gang is led by a Jharkhand-based mastermind. (Representative Image)
Ever heard of a gang where the employees receive more benefits than some corporate workers? In a bizarre case, a gang of mobile phone thieves in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, has made headlines for offering an “employee-friendly work environment”. This gang not only paid its members a fixed monthly salary of Rs 15,000 but also provided them with free food and travel allowances, turning organised crime into something that feels oddly corporate.
The revelation was shared by the Times of India, sparking an amusing online frenzy. Social media users were quick to point out the generous perks offered by this criminal network. This well-organised gang, reportedly led by the Jharkhand-based mastermind, Manoj Mandal (35), had a truly business-like approach to crime. His two partners, Karan Kumar (19) and his 15-year-old brother were arrested near the Gorakhpur railway station on a Friday night. Police recovered 44 mobile phones, valued at Rs 10 lakh, from their possession.
Interestingly, the police report revealed that Manoj had four criminal cases against him, while Karan had two. As for the minor, authorities were in the process of verifying his criminal history, according to the TOI.
Gorakhpur GRP SP Sandeep Kumar Meena spoke about the gang’s operations, quoting that Manoj had been paying Rs 15,000 per month to each member, alongside free food and accommodation for outstation jobs. “Those who completed small targets were inducted into the gang,” Meena reportedly stated.
The gang’s operations were smooth and well-planned, like a corporate business, with Manoj hunting for young recruits in his village of Sahebganj who were in need of money. According to police officials, members were well-dressed and fluent in Hindi, so they blended seamlessly into public transport and marketplaces without drawing any suspicion.
Manoj reportedly trained his recruits for three months, assigning them smaller targets to test their skills. Once they successfully completed these tasks, they were brought into the fold, receiving a salary and being given bigger assignments. The gang’s main targets were the bustling markets and railway stations in Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Maharajganj and Kushinagar.
Their operation was simple but effective: stealing mobile phones from unsuspecting people in public places. The stolen phones were then handed over to a larger cartel, which smuggled them across the border to Bangladesh and Nepal.
The gang was able to operate for a week before their luck ran out. They were tracked down through footage from over 200 CCTV cameras, which helped police trace their movements and bring their operation to a halt.
