LUCKNOW, Oct. 14 -- With the killing of one and arrest of two accused linked to the recent loot-murders targeting cab drivers, investigators have unearthed the modus operandi of a gang that preyed exclusively on car owners. They first 'tested their targets' under the guise of a regular booking, and struck only after confirming that the vehicle belonged to the driver, said police. "During the first booking, gang members behaved cordially with the driver, gathered information about whether the car was owned or rented, and learned how it could be tracked. A day later, another member of the gang would book the same cab, lure the driver to a secluded location, and kill him before escaping with the vehicle," said an officer. Additional DCP (west) DS Kushwaha said, "Three arrests have been made so far, while one accused was killed in an encounter on Sunday. Interrogations reveal that the men were part of a wider racket operating across UP." Over the past month, at least two similar cases have been reported in Sitapur and Shahjahanpur. The gang came on police radar after the murder of a Lucknow-based cab driver Yogesh Pal, originally from Unnao, whose body was found in Sitapur in September. Another cab driver, Avneesh Dixit, of Shahjahanpur was found murdered on October 6, with his vehicle missing. The Lucknow Police and Crime Branch tracked the network, leading to a late-night encounter near Zero Point on the Outer Ring Road on Sunday, in which Guru Sevak, a gangster carrying a Rs.1.5 lakh reward, was gunned down. He was wanted in the murder of cab driver Yogesh Pal and his vehicle loot in Sitapur along with many cases of murder, loot and abduction across Shahjahanpur and Sitapur. DCP (West) Vishwajeet Srivastava said Guru Sevak, along with his associates Ajay Singh alias Amarjeet and Vikas Kanojia, ran a gang that specifically targeted cab owners. "They killed those who owned vehicles," he said. Investigations revealed that Vikas Kanojia was the mastermind of loot plans. Around September 15, he booked Yogesh's cab for a trip to gather details about the driver. On September 27 and 28, he called again to book the same car for Sitapur, but Yogesh declined. On September 29, when Yogesh agreed to the Rs.3,500 booking, Vikas joined the trip, disembarking near the Kanpur bypass.Ajay, Guru Sevak and another accomplice allegedly murdered Yogesh Pal en route and dumped his body in a Sitapur forest before fleeing with his car....