Tarn Taran man among 2 held for series of inter-state vehicle thefts

As many as 12 cars with forged registration documents and tampered identification numbers have been recovered from the duo, identified as Gurwinder Singh Bainka, 37, a resident of Tarn Taran in Punjab, and Dashrath Bishnoi, 36, a resident of Bikaner in Rajasthan.

The Delhi Police have busted an inter-state gang involved in buying and selling stolen cars, with the arrest of two alleged dealers from Punjab and Rajasthan.

The Delhi Police have busted an inter-state gang involved in buying and selling stolen cars, with the arrest of two alleged dealers from Punjab and Rajasthan. (Representational image)

As many as 12 cars with forged registration documents and tampered identification numbers have been recovered from the duo, identified as Gurwinder Singh Bainka, 37, a resident of Tarn Taran in Punjab, and Dashrath Bishnoi, 36, a resident of Bikaner in Rajasthan.

According to police, the accused bought stolen vehicles for around ₹4-5 lakh, changed their chassis and engine numbers, prepared forged registration certificates and sold them as genuine vehicles in Punjab and Rajasthan.

Police said a Crime Branch team launched an operation to curb the increase in vehicle thefts in Delhi. The team analysed theft patterns, CCTV footage and intelligence inputs, which indicated a network based in Punjab was procuring stolen vehicles from Delhi, and disposing of them in Punjab and Rajasthan.

“The breakthrough came during the investigation of an auto theft case registered at the Prashant Vihar police station when the team, acting on a tip-off on June 7, apprehended Gurwinder Singh Bainka from an MCD parking area behind a hotel in East Delhi,” the officer said.

Verification revealed that the SUV was stolen in a case registered at the Prashant Vihar police station.

During interrogation, Bainka disclosed that he received stolen vehicles, including Hyundai Creta, Toyota Fortuner, Mahindra Thar and Kia models, from suppliers and sold them in Punjab, particularly in Amritsar, Ludhiana and other border districts.

Based on his disclosures, teams conducted raids in Punjab and recovered several more stolen vehicles.

Further investigation led police to Dashrath Bishnoi, who was apprehended in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan.

“He was later arrested and taken into custody, following which additional recoveries were made,” the officer said. Police suspect the gang dealt in 15 to 20 stolen vehicles using the same modus operandi.

The recovered vehicles include Hyundai Creta, Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Innova Crysta, Toyota Innova, Hyundai Alcazar, Tata Harrier, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire and Toyota Yaris.

Several recovered vehicles had forged number plates, while some lacked registration plates. He said the vehicles were stolen from different parts of Delhi, Haryana and other states.

Police said Bainka earlier operated a used-car business in Punjab and had been declared a proclaimed offender in a vehicle theft case registered at the Rani Bagh police station.

They said he was allegedly involved in four criminal cases in Delhi and Punjab. Both accused are in judicial custody. Police said efforts were underway to identify the vehicle thieves supplying the stolen cars and trace other syndicate members.