The silencers of Maruti Eeco vans turned out to be favourites for a gang of thieves. Reason- the presence of expensive metal dust like Rhodium, Palladium and Platinum in it.
Alarmed by the sudden rise in cases involving theft of silencers, especially from Eeco vans in the twin-cities, the central crime detection unit was roped in to conduct a parallel probe and apprehend the culprits. Subsequently, a team led by Police Inspector Rahul Raakh under the supervision of DCP (Crime) Dr. Mahesh Patil started investigations into the theft cases. Apart from intensifying vigilance, the team activated their core informer network and electronic surveillance mechanism. Footage captured by CCTV cameras at the crime scenes and possible getaway routes were also scanned.
Based on a specific tip-off, the team laid a trap in Hatkesh area of Kashimira and arrested the trio identified as Imran Irshad Khan (35), Shahrukh Naseem Khan (24) and Javed Bashir Khan (28), all residents of Ghatkopar in Mumbai.
Investigations revealed that the trio used to target four-wheelers mainly Maruti Eeco Vans for extracting the expensive palladium metal dust from the catalytic converters in the exhaust system of the silencer installed by the manufacturing company in order to meet emission standards. After rounds of sustained interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in around 18 theft cases in the jurisdictions of police stations including Nallasopara, Virar, Kharghar, Kamothe, Rabale and Koparkhairne.
Apart from tools and silencers, the police recovered a Santro car which was used to commit the thefts, police said. Further investigations were underway.
