Gang busted, 9 held with 53 luxury vehicles

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 25

The Patiala police have busted a gang of vehicle thieves, arrested nine persons and recovered 53 luxury vehicles worth Rs 6.25 crore. 

Jaskiranjit Teja, Superintendent of Police (D), Patiala, said, “The gang bought condemned vehicles and later robbed a vehicle of the same make. They would take the engine number, registration documents of the damaged vehicles. Then they would tamper with the engine number of the stolen vehicle to match it with the engine number of the damaged vehicle. These vehicles would then be sold on the basis of forged registration documents.” 

Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurmeet Chauhan said four top insurance companies were under the scanner for allegedly providing registration documents to these robbers, who bought damaged vehicles. 

Crime Investigating Agency (CIA) in charge Bikramjit Brar said Suhaib Shahabudin, head of the gang in Meerut, led a lavish lifestyle. Chauhan said these stolen vehicles had been registered with different registration authorities in Punjab, Haryana, HP, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and West Bengal as original vehicles. The police said several persons had been arrested from Punjab, UP and Delhi.