Mira-Bhayandar: In a major success for the crime branch unit (zone I) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police, they busted an interstate gang involved in a spate of truck lifting cases.
MBVV chief -Madhukar Pandey directed the crime branch unit to conduct investigations into unsolved cases related to theft of vehicles which had been reported in the past 3 to 4 years. The team led by police inspector-Aviraj Kurhade started investigations and found a pattern, prompting them to collect information of criminals who used a similar modus-operandi to commit such crimes.
Four Held Including Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar Garage Owner
After getting some hazy clues about the identity of one suspect, the team activated their core informer network. The team tasted its first success after API-Prashant Gangurde received a tip-off about a garage owner in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar involved in suspicious activities.
The team immediately, took the garage owner-Azhar Akbar Shaikh (35) into custody which led to the arrest of his accomplice including the kingpin of the racket-Samir Nasir Khan alias Pathan (41) and two vehicle dealers identified as-Mohammed Shakeel Shaukat Shah (48) and Shaikh Nasir Shehzad Miya (43).
Throwing light on the modus operandi of the racket, Madhukar Pandey said, “The gang used fake documents to register non-existent vehicles-mostly trucks in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, following which online No Objection Certificates (NOCs) were procured from the regional transport office (RTO) for re-registration in Maharashtra. After completing the paperwork, the gang stole vehicles matching the NOC details. After altering the engine and chassis numbers to match the registered documents, the stolen vehicles were sold in Maharashtra.”
Details On Seizure
Apart from six cars and SUV’s, the police recovered 41 heavy vehicles including 14 Tata trucks, 10 tipper lorries, 8 Eicher tempos and 9 Ashok Leyland trucks from the possession of the accused who apparently exploited loopholes in the vehicle registration process in some states.
The value of the 47 recovered vehicles is pegged at more than Rs. 7.32 crore. While FIR’s related to theft of 16 vehicles has been accessed so far, the quartet are habitual offenders with multiple cases registered against them at various police stations across Maharashtra, UP and Rajasthan.
Not ruling out more arrests in the case, the MBVV police is conducting further investigations into the case. Meanwhile, the recovered vehicles were returned to the rightful owners after completing the legal formalities, the MBVV police chief felicitated officials and personnel of the crime branch unit for their achievement.
