Delhi police’s Operation Eagle Eye reveals how auto lifters supplied snatchers with vehicles

Police said the racket was busted during a special operation code-named Eagle Eye, which was executed by joint teams from Raj Park and Mangolpuri police stations in outer Delhi.

The Delhi Police on Friday busted one of the largest syndicates of vehicle thieves and snatchers in the national capital and arrested 14 men, who regularly rented out stolen two-wheelers to snatchers in Delhi.

The auto lifters would provide stolen bikes to middlemen who would rent them out to snatchers for Rs 2,000 a day or a share in the snatched item(s), a Delhi police official said. (HT Illustration)

Police said they have recovered at least 116 stolen two-wheelers from these men. The arrested also include the alleged kingpin who is believed to be involved in 89 cases of vehicle thefts. Police said snatchers preferred using stolen vehicles as these couldn’t be traced to them

Police said the racket was busted during a special operation code-named Eagle Eye, which was executed by joint teams from Raj Park and Mangolpuri police stations in outer Delhi.

Deputy commissioner of police (outer) A Koan said police had noticed that in recent cases of snatching, the vehicles used by suspects were mostly stolen.

“Using stolen motorcycles is one way for snatchers to evade the police as they are registered in the owner’s name. An in-depth probe revealed a nexus between auto lifters, middlemen and snatchers. The auto lifters would provide stolen bikes to middlemen who would rent them out to snatchers for Rs 2,000 a day or a share in the snatched item(s),” Koan said.

The DCP said the racket was active for the past two or three years at least and some snatchers were directly in touch with auto lifters in order to avoid paying the middlemen.

“In case a snatcher could not afford to pay upfront the Rs 2,000, he was still given the bike, but on condition that half the snatched valuables will be handed over to the auto lifters at the end of the day. If they stole cash, then around 30%-40% of the loot was given to the auto lifters in lieu of bike rent,” Koan said.

Also, the rent price varied, depending upon the make and type of motorcycle that the snatcher wanted to use. He said from questioning arrested snatchers, police got to know that they would always leave these motorbikes near public parks or in isolated parking lots to avoid being tracked.

Koan said, “All 14 men accepted that they operated a racket of auto lifters and snatchers. They said the stolen motorcycles were being provided to snatchers on rent.”