The City police have busted an interstate racket involved in car thefts using high-tech gadgets, raising concerns regarding the vulnerability of vehicle security systems.
Two persons, identified as Parameswaran, 37, of Madurai, and Muhammed Mubarak, alias ‘Thakkaali’ Mubarak, 26, of Tiruchirappalli, have been apprehended by a Shadow police wing from Chennai in an investigation that got under way after the sleuths identified a striking similarity in multiple cases of thefts reported recently.
Particular brand
Seven vehicles, all belonging to a particular brand and model, were stolen from various parts of the city.
This led the investigating team, led by Assistant Commissioner (Control Room) V. Suresh Kumar, to stumble upon lesser-known electronic devices that could apparently be used to crack security systems embedded in certain new-generation cars.
22 vehicles in State
According to District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram City) P. Prakash, the gang is suspected to have stolen 22 vehicles from across the State.
Besides Thiruvanantha-puram, 13 vehicles were allegedly stolen from the Thrissur Rural police limits, and one each from Palakkad and Malappuram.
“The gang has been involved in organised crime and is believed to have been active in several States, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra, ” the District Police Chief said.