Crime Branch busts gang reselling scrap trucks by using forged documents

Police officers said the accused took the help of an RTO agent in Arunachal Pradesh in getting the vehicles registered by replacing their engine and chassis numbers with recent models and providing an NOC based on which the gang re-registered the vehicles in Vasai -Virar RTO and thereafter sell the same as recent models

MUMBAI: Unit 4 of the crime branch busted a gang and arrested three of its members for allegedly selling scrap trucks after repairing and replacing their chassis and engine numbers. Police officers said they have recovered 10 such trucks worth around ₹1.20 crore from the arrested gang members.

Crime Branch busts gang reselling scrap trucks by using forged documents

Police officers said the accused took the help of an RTO agent in Arunachal Pradesh in getting the vehicles registered by replacing their engine and chassis numbers with recent models and providing an NOC based on which the gang re-registered the vehicles in Vasai -Virar RTO and thereafter sell the same as recent models.

The arrested accused are identified as Sikandar Jaril Shah, 50, Ramjan Mehboob Shaikh, 32, and Anegyu Shrinivas Jangga Reddy, 50. The fourth accused has been traced in Arunachal Pradesh and he would be arrested soon and brought to Mumbai, said police inspector Indrajeet More of Unit 4.

After getting information about the gang, a police team was working for more than ten days to get leads about the gang. “Once we verified the information and located 10 trucks in different parts of the city and confirmed that their chassis and engine numbers were changed, we arrested the accused,” said More, adding that Shah and Shaikh were arrested on Monday while Reddy was arrested on Thursday.

According to the police, the accused have a unique modus operandi. Shah and Shaikh bought scrap trucks or old models of 2011 or 2012 made from Navi Mumbai and after repairing and refurbishing the same, they sent pictures of the vehicles to an agent in Arunachal Pradesh.

The agent, the officer said, then prepared newspapers replacing the chassis and engine numbers of the old vehicles by the number of recent models like vehicles registered in 2019 and 2020 in Arunachal Pradesh. The agent would also send NOCs obtained from the regional transport office in Arunachal Pradesh and send the same to the gang.

Based on the registration numbers and NOCs sent by the agent, Reddy then got new chassis and engine numbers punched on the vehicles and helped them get re-registered with the regional transport office for the Vasai-Virar region. Later they sold the vehicles for prices ranging from ₹12 lakh to 15 lakh as 2019 or 2020 models, said More. He added that some buyers have even taken loans of ₹10 lakh to ₹12 lakh by mortgaging the vehicles, said More.