NEW DELHI: An auto-lifter was arrested for allegedly rashly driving a car outside a mosque in Khureji area which triggered stone pelting in the East Delhi locality on Eid-ul-Fitr. On Thursday, the police said, Shahrukh, 26, got scared when he saw huge police deployment and sped into the streets of Khureji area when he brushed some of the namazis who were outside the mosque. 

The police had claimed nobody was seriously injured. The sedan, which was driven by Shahrukh,  was stolen from Madhu Vihar on May 30, DCP Meghna Yadav said, adding a woman — who accompanied him — was also taken into custody. After going through CCTV footage, police teams tapped all informers for tracing the accused. Subsequently, Shahrukh and his female associate were apprehended from Kashmiri Gate area. 

Shahrukh told his interrogators that he used to sleep at night in the stolen vehicle only and parked it in Rani Garden Geeta Colony. The auto-lifter confessed that he used to steal vehicles and their heavy duty batteries by using a master key to pay for his drug addiction Thursday morning, he noticed heavy police deployment in the area due to which he got scared and tried to escape from this place.  

“He panicked and sped into the streets of Khureji, where he drove dangerously. He noticed that the police personnel and the public were tailing him in Khureji due to which he accelerated and escaped towards Anand Vihar area,” the DCP said. “At night, he reached Anand Vihar and stole a Scooty on which he and his associate escaped.” Shahrukh, a resident of Govindpura in Jagatpuri, has been involved in 27 cases. The auto lifter also has one case of robbery against him, the DCP said.