Inter-state vehicle theft racket busted in Navi Mumbai, five arrested

Vehicles worth ₹2.2Cr have been seized and five persons including the prime accused have been arrested in the case.

In a case similar to what you see in movies, the Navi Mumbai crime branch busted an inter-state gang that duped people by offering to rent their vehicles to corporate houses and hotels.

Navi Mumbai police address the media in Belapur on Friday. The central unit of the crime branch has recovered 20 vehicles worth ₹1.21Cr while nine vehicles worth ₹81L have been seized by Gujarat police as they had been used in various crimes. (Bachchan Kumar/HT)

The police went undercover as tenants and waiters in different housing societies and hotels to trap the gang members. The gang opened bogus companies, took possession of the vehicles along with their documents and later shut shop and sold the vehicles in Gujarat.

Vehicles worth ₹2.2Cr have been seized and five persons including the prime accused have been arrested in the case.

The central unit of the crime branch has recovered 20 vehicles worth ₹1.21Cr while nine vehicles worth ₹81L have been seized by Gujarat police as they had been used in various crimes.

Navi Mumbai police commissioner, Bipin Kumar Singh, said, “The gang members would open an office and appoint 4-5 unsuspecting employees. One of the accused, Ayan alias Rahul alias Anthony Paul Chettiar, a hotel management diploma holder, would then go to another state and search on social media apps for people wanting to rent their vehicles. He would call them and discuss the rental offer and send them to the bogus company office.”

The other two accused, drive Satya Prakash Verma alias Babu, 30, a Virar resident and Ashish Pujari, 32, a graduate from Palghar, would sign the contract with the client and take possession of their vehicles and original documents. They would then start giving them monthly rent.

Singh added, “Unknown to the owner, the vehicle would be immediately sent to their accomplices in Gujarat, where they would be sold in 3-4 days at throwaway price. With the money accrued, they would pay the rent of the vehicle for 2-3 months and win the confidence of the customers, thereby dragging more people in the net. They would then suddenly close their office, switch off their mobile phones and vanish.”

Following a similar incident in Nerul this year, the case was entrusted to the crime branch. The gang members regularly changed their numbers and locations to evade arrest.

Singh said, “The crime branch learnt that Babu was residing in Bhoisar with his wife. On making inquiries, the team learnt that his wife was alone at home. A police squad then rented a flat in the same building and kept a watch on him for a week. After a week, Babu returned home and was immediately nabbed by the police. On interrogation, he confessed to his involvement in the crime and also revealed the whereabouts of his accomplices. He was arrested on November 6.”

Babu revealed that accused Ashish and Ayan were in Bangalore. A team led by Gajjal immediately left for the city.

They learnt that they were staying in a hotel. “One of our constables dressed up as a waiter and worked in the hotel. When the accused came to their hotel room, he alerted the team and the duo was nabbed on November 7,” the commissioner said.

Based on further investigations, the crime branch then arrested Mohammed Wasim Shaikh, 33 and Javed Shaikh alias Mama, 46, both from Gujarat, on November 19.

Police learnt that the vehicles had been sold in Surat, Ahmedabad, Vapi, Daman, Valsad areas. The gang had opened offices at Nerul, Marol – Andheri and Yerwada in Pune.

Singh, said, “The prime accused, Ayan, used a Dubai SIM card to mislead the investigating agencies. He would be in Bangalore and make WhatsApp calls and had managed to evade arrest so far.”