Two SUV thieves in net, 18 vehicles recovered

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, June 8

Eighteen SUVs, including eight Toyota Fortuners, have been recovered by the Chandigarh Police with the arrest of two members of an inter-state gang of vehicle thieves, which was involved in selling vehicles to gullible people after preparing RCs on forged documents.

The police said eight Fortuners, three Innovas, five Hyundai Cretas and two Maruti Brezzas, worth around Rs3 crore, had been recovered.

A team, led by Inspector Rajdeep Singh, SHO of the Sector 31 police station, nabbed Ramesh (39), a resident of Sisar Khas village in Rohtak district in Haryana, from near the Kali Bari light point on June 4 while riding a stolen Hyundai Creta. On verification, it was found that the vehicle had fake and engine and chassis numbers affixed on it and it was stolen from Delhi.

The police said Ramesh’s interrogation led to the arrest of the second suspect, Amit Kumar, alias Sabhi (37), also a resident of Rohtak district.

The police said the SUVs were stolen from various parts of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi by the Uttar Pradesh (UP)-based accomplices of the suspects.

Amit and Ramesh used to get stolen vehicles registered in Haryana on the basis of fake documents and further sell these to buyers at competitive prices. Eighteen SUVs were recovered, of which 17 were recovered from people who had purchased these from the suspects.

With the arrest of the duo, employees of the vehicle registration authorities in different parts of Haryana have also come under the police scanner as the stolen vehicles were being registered on the basis of fake documents.

“Based on the RCs issued by the registration authorities, the SUVs were sold to people in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi,” said a police official. Both suspects have a criminal past. The police claimed that more recoveries were expected based on the information provided by them.

Vehicles worth Rs 3 cr recovered

The police said eight Fortuners, three Innovas, five Hyundai Cretas and two Maruti Brezzas, worth around Rs3 crore, had been recovered.

Gangsters used SUVs to commit crime

Police sources said it was suspected the SUVs were also used by the gangsters for committing crimes and smuggling liquor.

Registration staff’s role under scanner

The role of employees of various vehicle registration authorities in Haryana has also come under the scanner as the suspects used to get the vehicles registered on fake documents, engine and chassis numbers before further selling these.

Haryana cops had also got a tip-off

Sources said the STF wing of the Haryana Police had got a tip-off regarding the suspects and it was also after the gang. However, the Chandigarh Police managed to nab them before it could.