Punjab: Amritsar man nabbed after 100-km chase, 4 cars recovered

The accused is a habitual offender and has previously been involved in nine cases of theft, forgery and cheating in Delhi

An Amritsar man allegedly involved in several cases of vehicle theft was arrested after a 100-km chase from Delhi to Murthal in Haryana, during which he attempted to ram police personnel with a stolen SUV, an official said on Tuesday.

According to cops, the accused is part of a gang specialising in stealing high-end push-start vehicles. (HT File)

The accused has been identified as Amandeep Singh, a resident of Amritsar.

“A case was reported on July 29 regarding the theft of an Innova car from Pandav Nagar. Investigation suggested the involvement of Singh, who is part of a gang specialising in stealing high-end push-start vehicles,” deputy commissioner of police (central) Nidhin Valsan said.

“On the night of August 11, the accused picked up a stolen Fortuner from Delhi and was heading towards Punjab when the police received information. A joint team chased him for nearly 100 kilometres. At the Murthal toll plaza in Haryana, Singh tried to escape by attempting to run over the pursuing policemen. He then abandoned the vehicle and hid in the adjoining fields but was later overpowered after a search operation that lasted for hours,” the DCP added.

During questioning, Singh disclosed his role in a larger syndicate of vehicle thieves who employed a unique modus operandi. “They first identified luxury vehicles fitted with electronic security systems and took photographs of the hologram pasted on their windscreens. The image, which contained a unique code, was sent to a technical expert based in Dubai. The expert decoded the system and generated a new code, which was relayed back to the gang. Using specialised equipment programmed with the fresh code, the gang members would break the window glass, bypass the system and drive away with the vehicle,” said the DCP.

Singh’s role in the network was primarily that of transporting stolen vehicles from Delhi to Punjab for further disposal. On his instance, investigators recovered three other luxury cars — two Hyundai Cretas and one Kia Seltos — from Punjab.

According to police, Singh is a habitual offender and has previously been involved in nine cases of theft, forgery and cheating in Delhi. Further investigation into the matter is underway.