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Parking contractor managing vehicle-lifting gang arrested in Ludhiana
His accomplice, an engineering graduate, also nabbed; used to hide stolen vehicles at parking lots in Ludhiana; 16 four-wheelers recovered from their possession, say police
The crime investigating agency (CIA) staff-1 of Ludhiana police claim to have busted an inter-state gang of vehicle lifters with the arrest of a local parking lot contractor, Mickey Sahani.
According to police, Mickey hid stolen vehicles at the parking lots managed by his staff and later sold them off using fake documents.
His accomplice, Amanpreet Singh, alias Aman, 36, of Karnail Singh Nagar, Pakhowal Road, has also been arrested. An engineering graduate, Amanpreet claims to be working as a teacher.
Their two accomplices, Rohin of Delhi and Laddi of Jalandhar, are at large.
Sharing details of the arrest, commissioner of police Rakesh Agrawal said following the two men’s arrest on Thursday, 16 four-wheelers were recovered from their possession.
These include three Toyota Fortuner SUVs, two Hyundai Verna sedans, and once each Innova Crysta, Toyota Etios, Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Maruti Suzuki Alto, Volkswagen Vento, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta, Hyundai i10 and Chevrolet Optra.
Stole vehicles from Delhi, J&K
The police chief said the accused used to steal vehicles from Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir with the help of their gang members and brought them to Ludhiana.
They did not target vehicles in Ludhiana to avoid being caught.
“They would approach scrap dealers for registration certificates (RCs) and number plates of damaged vehicles. Laddi of Jalandhar used to forge the engine and chassis numbers of stolen vehicles, and replace their number plates. These would then be sold to unwary customers,” said the commissioner, adding that through this modus operandi, they had been making quick money for over a year.
“Police had recently initiated a drive against vehicles parked for over a week at parking lots. Such vehicles were noticed by the police during special checking. But, Mickey tried to mislead the police that the vehicles were parked only recently,” the police official added.
Amanpreet is already facing a burglary case lodged at Sarabha Nagar police station, while Mickey was in January booked by the Division Number 2 police for overcharging patients and their relatives at the Civil Hospital parking lot.
While his two employees were caught, he had managed to escape.
More important information is expected from the accused during questioning. A hunt is on for their absconding accomplices, including some scrap dealers.
