Dahisar Police have busted an automobile theft racket active in Mumbai and the neighboring Thane area, arresting four youths, who received the vehicles picked up by two minor boys. Police arrested the accused people acting on a tip-off received from two minors detained for riding an autorickshaw, based on which a trap was laid and the others were arrested, who were in possession of 47 stolen vehicles including autorickshaws, motorcycles, and sports bicycles valued at over ₹18 lakh. All accused are history-sheeters with around 20 cases registered against them.
During a routine bandobast near Sanjay Gandhi National Park on Tuesday, police tried to stop an autorickshaw driven by two minors, who sped the three-wheeler instead of stopping and were caught after a brief chase of two kilometers. When asked to produce the papers and information about the auto, they were unable to do so and the primary probe revealed that the vehicle was reported stolen at Dahisar police station.
The two minors, both Malvani residents, were then detained and during interrogation revealed that they were part of the motor vehicles theft gang. The minor boys also gave locations of other stolen vehicles-- seven autos, 14 motorcycles, and 20 sports bicycles, which were picked up by them from Mumbai and Thane. The minors were wanted in at least 20 cases of vehicle theft, said police.
The minors also revealed names of four other accused, whom they had passed on the stolen vehicles. Police said, acting on this tip-off, the accused people identified as Aslam Makhdoom Sheikh, 19, Umesh Rathod, 22, Irshad Chowdhary, 20, and Sohail Shah, 19 were arrested. These accused either sold the stolen vehicles at a cheap rate or gave autos on rent to mint money. Police recovered all 47 vehicles valued at ₹18.05 lakh from the accused.
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