Navi Mumbai, Feb 04: Taking a cue from social media videos, an organised gang involved in large-scale vehicle theft was busted by the Navi Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch, leading to the arrest of four accused and the recovery of 26 stolen vehicles — including 21 motorcycles and five auto-rickshaws — collectively worth Rs 40.46 lakh.
23 theft cases detected across districts
With this action, the Crime Branch has detected 23 vehicle theft cases reported from Navi Mumbai, Thane and Mumbai. The arrested accused have been identified as Santosh Laxman Dhole (45), who introduced himself as a vehicle recovery agent to facilitate the sale of stolen vehicles; Laxman Tippanna Masalkar (34), who operated a vehicle washing service centre; Sanjeev Gangaram Saxena (52), a vegetable seller; and Kailas Khetaji Chaudhary (38), a general stores shopkeeper.
Probe initiated on commissioner’s directions
The accused were traced after the Crime Branch was directed by Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Millind Bharambe to investigate the spate of vehicle theft cases being reported across the city. The parallel investigation began after a vehicle theft case was registered at the Kharghar police station.
The Crime Branch analysed CCTV footage and technical inputs, which led them to the Kolegaon area of Dombivli. A subsequent operation resulted in the arrest of the four accused and the seizure of the stolen vehicles.
Social media used to learn theft techniques
Investigations revealed that Dhole learned various techniques of vehicle theft by watching videos on social media. Along with his associates, he allegedly stole motorcycles and auto-rickshaws from different locations.
“The accused misused social media platforms to learn criminal techniques and carried out organised vehicle thefts across multiple districts. By changing number plates and documents, they attempted to pass off stolen vehicles as genuine. A detailed investigation led to the recovery of 26 vehicles and the detection of 23 theft cases,” said ACP (Crime Branch) Prerana Karte.
Accused remanded, further probe underway
All four accused are currently in police custody till February 6, and further investigation is underway to ascertain their involvement in additional offences.
Separate action against habitual offender
In a separate action, the Crime Branch arrested another accused identified as Naser Sadan Khan (58), a habitual offender with more than 92 previous vehicle theft cases registered against him. Khan was apprehended in the Vashi area while allegedly transporting a stolen motorcycle.
The central unit team of the Crime Branch recovered 17 stolen motorcycles worth Rs 5.82 lakh from his possession, leading to the detection of 14 theft cases registered with the Kharghar and APMC police stations.
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“Khan previously ran a garage and used his technical expertise to erase engine and chassis numbers of stolen motorcycles to destroy their identity before selling them. Tools used for altering engine and chassis numbers were also seized,” police said.
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