Four members of a suspected inter-State gang of vehicle thieves, including its leader have been arrested, the police here said on Monday.
The accused have been identified as Sariq Sata (47), Furkan Sheikh (40), Sageer Ahmed (34) and Sikander (28), they added.
With their arrest, the police claimed to have arrested seven members of the gang. They have recovered 51 stolen vehicles from the possession of the accused.
ADVERTISEMENT
₹1 lakh bounty
Sata, the alleged kingpin of the gang, has 43 cases registered against him and was an absconder in more than 10 cases. Sata was carrying a reward of ₹1 lakh on his arrest by the Delhi Police and ₹20,000 by the Sambhal Police, a senior police officer said.
Earlier, three members of the gang — Kalia alias Safruddin, Tirath and Naveen — were arrested, the officer also said.
ADVERTISEMENT
During interrogation, the accused revealed that Sata was the kingpin of the gang and since 2012 he along with his accomplices Sageer, Sikander and others were involved in stealing luxurious cars from Delhi and NCR.
The accused would then dispose the stolen vehicles in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujrat, Maharashtra, Kerela, Karnataka, Mumbai and Northeast regions, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajesh Deo.
During sustained investigation, the police found that the entire process of vehicle theft and its disposal was carried out in three stages, Mr. Deo said.
The accused Safruddin, Sikander, Sageer and Naveen used to steal vehicles, whereas Furkan tampered with the engine, chassis number and then forged documents to get the stolen vehicle re-registered with the authorities. Sata and Tirath would then sell these, Mr. Deo also said.
Total loss vehicles
During investigation, the police found that prior to a theft, the accused used to locate and scan a vehicle , designated as a ‘total loss’ vehicle by insurance companies. They would purchase such vehicles through scrap dealers at a higher rate, the DCP also said.
Subsequently, after the ‘total loss’ vehicle were disposed of, the documents were retained. The accused then targeted a vehicle of the same make and colour and steal it, Mr. Deo said.
After stealing a vehicle, they used to obliterate its original engine number and chasis number. The engine number and chassis number of the ‘total loss’ vehicle were inscribed on the stolen car to give it a new identity, the officer said.