E-Paper
Man wanted for 1,000 car thefts held in Noida
When a team of Noida police intercepted a silver-coloured Maruti WagonR car at Delhi-Noida border, all it hoped was to seize a stolen car. But the disclosure made by the accused, Ummaid Khan, who was in the vehicle, has left policemen gaping in disbelief.
When a team of Noida police intercepted a silver-coloured Maruti WagonR car at Delhi-Noida border, all it hoped was to seize a stolen car. But the disclosure made by the accused, Ummaid Khan, who was in the vehicle, has left policemen gaping in disbelief.
Khan, arrested on Saturday night, has confessed his involvement in 1,000 cases of car theft and that too in just five years. Khan, in his thirties, is a resident of Bulandshahr.
Though Noida has been notorious for car thefts, the police took some time to believe Khan’s ‘strike rate’ of 200 thefts a year.
On the basis of his confession, the police have conducted raids in Noida, Delhi, Aligarh, Moradabad, Bijnaur, Muradnagar, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Ghaziabad.
Thirteen cars and a motorcycle have been seized.
Khan was wanted by the police in Delhi, Ghaziabad and Faridabad in over three dozen cases. He was jailed in 2006 on charges of theft.
“After coming out of jail, I took to stealing cars in a big way,” Khan told the police. He "polished his skills" while at the Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad. "I came in contact with some people best in the business," Khan said.
A police official said Khan was the kingpin of the gang when it came to breaking open the locks of cars. He never took more than five minutes in breaking open a car's lock.
The official added that Khan had named his 19 accomplices who helped him carrying out the crime. SSP SN Singh said all the accused will be booked under the Gangster Act.
"Raids are being carried out to nab them. It is a big, inter-state gang, we plan to bust," said a senior police officer.
"Khan was arrested on a tip off after we learnt that a stolen car was coming to Noida from Delhi," he added.
