Car thief tries to retrieve stolen SUV, shot by cops

NEW DELHI/JAIPUR: Police gunned down a car thief in the early hours of Tuesday near Vivek Vihar after he and two others opened fire at the cops on being intercepted near the Yamuna Sports Complex. One of the men was arrested at the site of the shootout.
On Sunday night, an SUV belonging to businessman Nitin Ahuja had been stolen. He had filed an e-FIR at the Mianwali Nagar police station. The thieves apparently parked the vehicle near a garbage dump and covered it with a plastic sheet after fixing a fake number plate on it.

The cops traced the car and then stationed a team nearby to nab the thieves when they came to retrieve it. Around 3am, cops spotted a Brezza car stopping near the Fortuner. Two men stepped out and open the SUV’s door. When the police team challenged them, the man driving the Brezza car opened fire even as Ravi alias Kuldeep (23), who was getting into the Fortuner, tried to run away. He was, however, caught.

The third man, Noor Mohammad (45), who had managed to get into the Fortuner, stepped on the gas and tried to run over the cops who had Ravi pinned. When the police fired four rounds in retaliation, Noor lost control and drove the vehicle into a wall. The person driving the Brezza fled from the scene during the melee.

Noor died before the police team could reach the hospital. Police said he had been hit by a bullet below the left shoulder and also suffered head injuries. A magisterial enquiry has been initiated into the incident.

Delhi police chief spokesperson Dependra Pathak said the encounter was the result of following up cases of vehicle thefts in the city. “The present case is one of the finest examples of professionalism in Delhi Police,” said Pathak.

DCP (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad disclosed that the police team was helped by the fact that the Fortuner had a GPS tracking device that pinpointed the location of the car. Police began investigation by going through CCTV footage from outside Ahuja’s house that showed the theft. The cops said the three men could be part of an inter-state group. The Brezza in which one of them fled is also suspected to be a stolen vehicle.

A relative informed Noor’s wife in Jaipur about his death. Family members and a lawyer later left for New Delhi to bring back the body after the autopsy. The relatives admitted that the deceased was never explicit about this profession. “He only mentioned once that he bought and sold cars, including used ones. But beyond that I never asked him for details and he never cared to share them either,” a neighbour said.

Police said that Noor had a case of assault and criminal conspiracy registered against him in Jaipur. Ravi too was found involved in several incidents of snatching and vehicle thefts. He is being questioned. A case of attempt to murder, preventing a police person from conducting his duties and criminal conspiracy has been registered against Ravi.

Police have recovered the men’s mobile phones in which there were messages on Whatsapp with demands for certain car models, according to which they stole the required cars.