E-Paper
Inter-state gang of vehicle lifters busted in Mohali
Police say the gang, with members named as accused in other cases as well, was most active in Chandigarh tricity area, Ambala, Panipat, Delhi and Karnal
The crime investigating agency (CIA) of Mohali police on Friday busted an inter-state gang of vehicle lifters with the arrest of four members and recovery of 21 cars.
The accused were identified as Ramjeet Singh, 27, of Vikas Puri in Delhi; Girish Bamby, alias Garry, 27, of Taran Taran in Punjab; Chanpreet Singh, 33, of Nangloi, New Delhi; and Maninder Singh, 29, of Tarn Taran. The gang was operational in tricity, Ambala, Panipat, Delhi and Karnal.
On Friday, the police even returned the stolen vehicles to seven owners, who got their releasing orders from the court.
Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP) Satinder Singh said that on June 10, Balongi police registered a case of theft, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, following which, the police arrested all the four accused.
SSP further said that during the investigation it came to light that accused Ramjeet Singh was booked in 70 to 80 cases of vehicle thefts in different states and was the kingpin of the gang. Ramjeet Singh is also a proclaimed offender (PO) since 2012.
The other accused, Chanpreet Singh, was also booked in 20 to 25 criminal cases and was declared a PO after jumping bail, the SSP said, adding that the two used to sell the stolen cars to Bamby, who would later tamper with the chassis numbers to sell them further.
A case was registered and all four accused have been sent to judicial custody. Police have named 16 others in the case and raids were on to nab them.
Modus operandi
The accused used to remove a small windowpane of the vehicle, following which the engine control module (ECM) was disconnected. Thereafter they would get the ECM decoded and connect wires to it to start the engine. Some cars were opened with the help of a ruler, the police said.
