Vehicle thieves try to run over cops; 3 nabbed

Three inter-state vehicle thieves were arrested after a stolen SUV fitted with a fake number plate attempted to run over police personnel, injuring two officers when they were intercepted in West Delhi, an official said on Friday.

The accused have been identified as Mashrur (56), Asif (42) and Aqeel (40), all residents of Uttar Pradesh. The arrests were made after ground surveillance revealed that the SUV was being used in multiple high-end vehicle theft cases across the city.

“The SUV bearing a duplicate number plate to evade detection was allegedly involved in the theft of premium cars in different areas. The suspicious vehicle had been repeatedly noticed near the Vivek Vihar ITI underpass around 11 pm over the past few days,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar said.

Acting on the inputs, a team laid a trap on the intervening night of January 15 and 16, he said.

When the police team signalled the vehicle to stop, the accused drove the vehicle straight at the police personnel in a life-threatening move, he said.

“Head constable Devender and constable Manish suffered injuries after being were hit by the speeding vehicle. In an attempt to escape, the accused also rammed into public vehicles, causing panic and posing a risk to commuters on the busy stretch,” the DCP said.

He said despite the danger and injuries, the team surrounded the vehicle and overpowered all three accused after a brief struggle.

“The injured policemen were immediately shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. Their medico-legal certificates were prepared. Separate legal action will also be taken in this case,” the DCP said.

During verification, the SUV was found to have been stolen from the Mukherjee Nagar area on September 2 last year. The police said the accused had been using the stolen SUV to commit thefts and conduct reconnaissance in different parts of Delhi.

A case has been registered at Vivek Vihar police station and further investigation is underway.