The crime branch unit (Zone-I) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police busted a Rajasthan-based inter-state gang involved in a spate of truck-lifting cases. The action followed in response to a case of truck theft registered at the Kashimira police station in December 2022. CCTV footage and a FASTag deduction alert at a toll gate proved helpful in arresting two members of the gang after the police team patiently camped on the outskirts of a village in Rajasthan for two months.
The suspects – Farookh Tayyab Khan, 36, and Mubin Haris Khan, 40 – are natives of Tapukara village in Alwar district of Rajasthan. Sustained interrogation led to the seizure of 53 stolen vehicles from various parts of the country, especially the Northeast region, which has turned into a dumping ground for stolen vehicles as they easily get sold at throwaway prices.
“The gang members would lift unguarded vehicles, change their chassis / engine numbers and sell them to unsuspecting buyers in other states by fabricating documents,” MBVV Police Commissioner Madukar Pandey said. He added that the police are on the lookout for 7-8 gang members who are absconding and their arrests can lead to more seizures and additional cases being solved.
The value of the 53 recovered vehicles – including 48 Eicher trucks, two Tata tempos, 1 Ashok Leyland truck and two Creta cars – have a collective value amounting to more than Rs4.75 crore. While the origin states of 22 vehicles have been identified, efforts are on to track the actual owners with the help of respective Regional Transport Offices (RTO).
Meanwhile, the Kashimira police have booked the duo under sections 379, 465, 468, 471 and 120 (b) of the Indian Penal Code and they have been remanded to custody. Further investigations are underway.
