Date:09/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/09/stories/2009010961750300.htm

New Delhi

Six arrested for auto-theft

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Six persons, including an engineering student, have been arrested in separate operations by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police for alleged involvement in several cases of auto-theft. More than 30 stolen vehicles have allegedly been recovered.

An Anti-Extortion Cell team under the overall supervision of ACP Jasvir Malik arrested Surender Kumar alias Sandeep (25) and Surender Singh (35) near Sangam Cinema on December 26 on a tip-off. They purportedly told the police that they were part of an inter-State gang involved in stealing cars in Delhi and Rajasthan. Sandeep is a mechanical engineering student in Rohtak, 70 km from Delhi. “Sandeep would use his knowledge of computers to prepare fake documents for stolen vehicles. He met Surender at a beer bar in Rohtak over a year ago and joined the gang,” said Mr. Malik.

A total of 11 stolen cars have allegedly been seized and seven cases solved. Most of these cars bear fake registration numbers of Delhi, UP and Rajasthan. Teams have been sent to several places in search of their accomplices.

In another operation, a Special Operations Squad team investigate a sudden increase in cases of auto-theft in the vicinity of Sports Complexes in Dwarka and Paschim Vihar and arrested a notorious auto-lifter Ravi alias Mahesh (27) on January 2. He was arrested near Dwarka Sports Complex.

His accomplices — Manish (27), Rakesh (34) and Anil (29) — were later nabbed at his instance. Twenty-one vehicles, including SUVs, have allegedly been recovered. More than 50 duplicate keys, two drill machines and two tool kits have also been seized.

Ravi and Manish would usually target people visiting public places in self-driven expensive cars. While Manish would follow the victim inside the park or sports complex, Ravi broke into the car.

Ravi was earlier arrested in a murder case in 1998 and again in 2002 for stealing a car and a scooter. Manish is an auto-rickshaw driver. Rakesh sells spectacles at CP and Anil is motor mechanic.