J&K-based gang of car thieves busted

Jalandhar, March 20

A Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)-based gang, which used to steal cars from Jalandhar and nearby districts to sell these at throwaway prices in their hometown, was busted in Jalandhar by police on Tuesday.

The cops seized four stolen vehicles from them. While one of the members of the inter-state gang was arrested, another managed to give a slip to police.

The district police said the accused had been involved in scores of car thefts in Punjab. A member of the gang, Shabbir Ahmed, a resident of Bimbdora village in Kulgam district, was arrested by the police today along with a stolen car, while Fayaaz Ahmed, a resident of URI district escaped. Police Commissioner Praveen Sinha said a team sent to Pathankot also recovered three more stolen cars from them. “They used to steal vehicles, replicate the original chassis number and registration number with fake ones and sold these at throwaway prices in J&K,” Sinha said.

The police recovered 23 ready keys and one unprepared key from the dashboard of a car, which the accused had stolen from Kalia Colony a few days ago.

The police also recovered over seven sensors of high-end cars, four registration certificates of other stolen vehicles and also another set of 17 keys from their possession.

A case under Sections 379, 411, 420, 482, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC was registered against them. The accused were sent to police remand for four days. — TNS