Another three people assisting the gang were also taken into custody immediately afterwards, the Kosamba police said.

Based on prior information, a team comprising DySP (rural) B M Brahmbhatt, Local Crime Branch PSI SUbhe Singh Yadav, Kosamba police and other constables raided a room in Bhatkole village. The eight accused, armed with sharp-edged weapons and identified as Deva alias Ajay Paripradhan, Sanjay alias Ajay Yadav, Babul Kanhaiyalal Rathi, Ravi Kashinath Shahu, Manoj Kalam Shahu, Ramkumar Rajendra Shahu, Tunna alias Punna Neera Shahu and Deepak alias Babu Mohanty were arrested even as they attempted to escape.

The other three people Lal Mohammed alias Usman Khan, Fateh Mohammed alias Parveen Khan and Mobin Ahmed Khan were also taken into custody later by the police.

According to the police, the eight accused, residing in and around the city, were arrested while they were preparing to loot a unit in the Pipodara GIDC called IPL Company. The accused have confessed to two other robberies amounting to Rs 6 lakh earlier and the police have also recovered grey cloth worth Rs 5.5 lakhs from the hideout.

All the eight accused were produced before a magistrate and remanded to two days of police custody. According to PSI R G Desai of the Kosamba police station, although the accused -- aged between 22 and 28 -- had confessed to planning to loot a unit at the Pipodara GIDC as well as their involvement in two robberies at Sachin GIDC and Un, the police were interrogating them in other cases as well. ``If required, we will press for a second remand period for the accused,'' Desai said.

The interrogation of the eight further revealed that they had asked the other three accused to fetch them a tempo to be used in the loot. Accordingly, the police laid a trap at Kim Char Rasta and arrested Lal Mohammed, Fateh Mohammed and Mobin Ahmed with a tempo van (GJ 17 T 7514) in which Rs 1.25 lakh worth of yarn, stolen from Maneka Industries at Un was seized.

The three accused have been remanded to three days of LCB custody, while the eight would be handed over to the Sachin police after their remand is over in the case.

DSP B D Vaghela, while praising the district police for their achievement, said that the arrest of the gang could lead to cracking of other undetected cases as well.