Mumbai, July 9 (Asian Age): Investigations into the inter-state car theft racket, busted on Saturday, have revealed that the five arrested accused sold most of their stolen cars in Nagaland, where demand for stolen cars suddenly seems to have shot up over the last one month.
The crime branch is now finding out the reason behind this phenomenon.
The five accused, Ahmed Sheikh alias Loha (21), Ashfaq Ahmed (19), Abdul Khan (30), Amjad Pathan alias Lambu (32) and Nadeem Khan (30), were arrested while in preparation to rob a petrol pump in Sewri, and are believed to be responsible for a string of motor vehicle thefts in the state.
“During interrogation, the gang has revealed that most of the cars that they stole were sold in Nagaland. We are trying to find out the reason behind this sudden demand for stolen cars there,” said a crime branch official.
Explaining the modus operandi of the gang further, the officer added, “The gang was in touch with several other gangs in the vehicle theft racket. Their job was limited to stealing the cars and then driving them to pre decided spots outside or on the outskirts of the state, after changing the licence plates. After this, another gang would take care of transporting the cars to the states, where they were in demand.”
Apart from Nagaland, the gang has also sold stolen cars to gangs from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Kolkata. A further look into the antecedents of the accused has revealed that one of them, Pathan, has also dabbled in drug peddling in the past. He has four cases registered against him with the Mumbai anti-narcotics cell, which will soon be seeking his custody, the police said.
