With the arrest of three men for the theft of over 24 autorickshaws in the western suburbs of Mumbai, MHB Police have busted an operation involving the theft and resale of three-wheelers with fake documents. The arrests were made after several autorickshaws were reported stolen in Kandivali, Malad and Borivali. The accused changed the number plates, chassis numbers and engine numbers to sell/rent it using fake documents or ply it illegally, said police.
A special team was formed to investigate the matter at MHB police station in Borivali (W). During the investigation, police closely studied the locations where the crimes were committed and activated their network of informers to give them a heads up about any gang involved in the thefts.
Based on suspicion and technical evidences, MHB Police laid a trap at Malvani, Malad (W) and arrested three men-- Ravi Kharwa, 35, Sanjay Chaurasia, 38 and Saeed Ahmed Aziz Ulla Saeed, 38, after which they seized 13 stolen autorickshaws from a garage at Malvani. “During investigation, the arrested trio revealed that they had stolen a total of 30 autorickshaws, of which were sold earlier and six are yet to be recovered. They were mainly active in Charkop, Kandivali, Borivali and Samta Nagar,” said Pandit Thackeray, senior inspector of MHB police station.
Shedding light on the modus operandi, Thackeray said, the accused would target and steal autorickshaws left unattended and then start the engine by rigging the wires, as they did not have the keys. Following this theft, the accused would get theses vehicles to a garage in Malvani, where the number plates, engine number and chassis numbers would be changed and later fake documents would be drawn.
Earlier, police had arrested an accomplice to the crime, making the total number of arrests in the case to four. Police have booked these four men under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and are investigating the matter further. At this point, at least 30 autorickshaws were plying on road illegally and the number could rise as the probe takes pace.
