Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): An inter-state gang of thieves who stole heavy vehicles has been caught by the Barnagar police probing a dumper theft. The gang members used to steal loading vehicles and sell them in Gujarat by painting and modifying the stolen vehicles. Fourteen loading trucks have been seized from the possession of this gang belonging to Mewat, Haryana. The gang worked in two teams. One team used to steal the vehicle and the other used to hide it. The gang members would not have been caught if the gangster’s Brezza SUV had not come in the sight of CCTV cameras. The main accused is being questioned by taking him on remand while one accused has been sent to jail.
The whole scenario resembles a detective film. On June 14, Praveen son of Omprakash Rathore, a resident of Badnawar, had lodged an FIR for theft of a dumper from Barnagar. Praveen had parked the dumper on the roadside. When the police searched the footage of CCTV cameras, a Brezza car was seen moving continuously behind the dumper. The car was found registered in the name of Salim Khan, a resident of Nuh Mewat in Punhana, Haryana. On enquiry, it came to the fore that Salim is living in Ahmedabad these days. When the police interrogated him, he gave information about the stolen trucks kept in different parking lots in Ahmedabad. Thereafter, 14 trucks were seized by the police.
Police also captured his companion Naveen aka Mulla resident of Barka Tiraha, Alwar, Rajasthan. Their interrogation led to the identification of the whole gang and the police go to know their modus operandi. Salim and Naveen used to steal vehicles in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi earlier. After being caught there once, they made Ahmedabad in Gujarat their hideout. This gang worked in two teams. One team used to steal the vehicle and the other used to hide it. The members of the gang used to patrol the Ahmedabad-Indore highway and used to steal the truck by opening the lock of the truck with a master key. Salim used to drive behind in a Brezza.
The work of the second team started once the stole truck reached Ahmedabad. It worked on the modification of the vehicles so that they couldn’t be recognized easily. Abid, a resident of Punaha was in-charge of the team. He used to park the modified vehicles at different parking lots and searched for buyers. They used to sell the trucks for Rs 6 to 8 lakh and told the buyers that they would complete the process of name transfer later and manipulated the papers. Abid is currently absconding.
The Eicher truck was the target of the gang as it is in high demand in Gujarat and was easily sold. They used to steal dumpers also if demanded like they stole a dumper from Barnagar. Stolen dumpers were sold to illegal min excavators.
The gang has so far stolen 20 trucks and 2 dumpers. The gang members were caught by the Khurja police of UP in December, after which they made their hideouts in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The accused had stolen one truck each from Barnagar and Mahakal police station area and two trucks each from Azad Nagar and Chandan Nagar police station area of Indore. SP Satyendra Kumar Shukla on Thursday told media persons that the gangster Salim is being questioned. There are more members in this gang and they will also be caught, he added.
