Gurugram, Jan. 14 (IANS): In a major crackdown on vehicle theft, the Gurugram Police have nabbed a Nagaland-based illegal dealer of luxury cars that are stolen from Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and other states.
After changing their engine numbers, chassis numbers and registration numbers, these cars were then sold in the remote north-eastern states and in Gurugram, the police said on Thursday.
The arrested car dealer, who is the kingpin in the racket, was identified as Kikheto of Nagaland’s Dimapur district. He confessed before the police that he has sold 50 luxury cars after fabricating their engine, chassis and registration numbers.
The nexus was unearthed by the police with the arrest of two culprits identified as Ankit of Hisar and Zalal of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh on December 17, 2020 by the crime unit Sector-10 of the Gurugram police. With the arrest of the duo police claimed to have solved 9 cases of vehicle thefts reported in Gurugram.
The police team seized 2 number plates, 1 tab (used to unlock vehicles), 3 sockets, 1 lead, 01 plate instrument, 1 device emulator and 1 master key from the arrested duo accused. While 1 tab, 4 fake engines/chassis number plates and 4 fake number plates (of Arunachal Pradesh) were also recovered from the possession of the dealer.
The tab which used to unlock vehicles was purchased by the accused for INR 2 lakh, the police said.
A complaint had been filed by Umed Singh, a resident of Gurugram in September 2019. He stated that his Fortuner was stolen from outside his house. A case in this regard was registered at the Sector-10A police station in Gurugram.
The two accused revealed that they were part of a gang active in Gurugram and they had stolen two Fortuner cars from Gurugram and had sold it to Kikheto who is an illegal dealer of luxury cars in Nagaland.
According to the police, Ankit and Zalal were arrested on December 17 and were on eight days police remand.
During interrogation, the duo disclosed that they used to break open the luxury cars with the help of a tab (device). They had easily attached the luxury car software with their tab and unlocked the cars and after stealing the cars they took them to Dimapur, Nagaland and sold the vehicle to the dealer.
“After their disclosure the crime unit Sector-10 led by Sub-Inspector Dalpat Singh swung into action and with the help of technical support and lead inputs about the dealer of luxury car received from the sources the police team arrested him on December 21 and took him on six days’ transit remand after producing him in a Dimapur court,” said Preet Pal Sangwan, ACP (crime).
The car dealer was on December 26 was produced before a court in Gurugram which sent him to 13 days’ police remand and later on January 12 he was again produced in district court which again sent him on 4 days’ police remand.
“During police questioning the kingpin Kikheto revealed that he used to buy stolen vehicles from various districts including Haryana, Delhi and NCR region, Rajasthan and other states on a large scale and then fraudulently changed the engine numbers and chassis numbers of those vehicles and after making fake registrations he then sold the vehicles.
“The accused confessed that around 50 such luxury vehicles have been sold in Gurugram. Further probe is underway,” Sangwan said.