Ludhiana: Inter-state gang of vehicle lifters busted, BTech grad among 3 held

Stole cars in Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Panchkula and drove them to Pune where they were dismantled for parts at a workshop, say police.

A three-member gang, led by a history-sheeter and comprising an engineering graduate, that stole vehicles in Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Panchkula has landed in the police net.

Arrested in Pune, Maharashtra, the gang members were brought to Ludhiana on a production warrant on Wednesday.

As many as four cars, including two Toyota Innova, one Toyota Fortuner and a Chevrolet Beat, have been recovered from the gang members, identified as Harpreet Singh, alias Smarty, 32, of Urban Estate, Phase 1, Patiala; Deepak Khanna, alias Tushar, 40, of East Uttam Nagar, New Delhi and Manjit Singh, alias Babba, 32, of Ankur Residency, Pune.

Police claim to have cracked at least five cases of vehicle lifting in Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Panchkula with their arrest.

They had stolen six cars from the three cities between September 6 and October 8, of which four have been recovered.

“Cops in Pune arrested the accused following information provided by the Ludhiana police. As they executed vehicle lifting in Ludhiana also, we brought them here on production warrant for questioning,” said Simratpal Singh Dhindsa, deputy commissioner of police (DCP, investigation).

The gang’s kingpin, Deepak, is facing trial in 35 cases, while Harpreet and Manjit are booked in 10 and 15 cases, respectively.

Engineer used know-how for crime

“Harpreet holds a BTech and used his know-how to devise ways to break into even cars equipped with security systems. After stealing the cars, they would drive these to Pune, where Manjit owns a workshop. There, they would dismantle the cars and sell off the spares,” DCP Dhindsa said.

The gang also sold off some cars using the documents of totally damaged cars. “They lived in a rented accommodation at Zirakpur and after stealing vehicles, used to leave for Pune,” he added.

Police are expecting more information on the network of vehicle-lifter gangs through interrogation.