Nashik arms haul: Cops refused to file FIR about stolen vehicle, says owner

The owner of the Bolero jeep, which was used to the smuggle arms and ammunition seized in Nashik on Friday, had reportedly approached the Amboli police on December

The owner of the Bolero jeep, which was used to the smuggle arms and ammunition seized in Nashik on Friday, had reportedly approached the Amboli police on December 6 to report that the vehicle had been stolen. However, he was turned away by the police and no FIR was registered.

The arms seized by the police on Friday.

The jeep’s original registration number was MH-02/ AP 2001, and it was stolen from Lashkariya Tower, Oshiwara, in Andheri (West) around 11:20pm on December 5, said its owner, Firoz Mehboob Khan, 53, who is a vehicle dealer. Speaking to HT, Khan said that when he learnt that his vehicle was stolen the next morning, he approached the Amboli police station on December 6, where sub inspector Ganesh Devkate noted the registration number and asked him to search for it in the area.

According to Khan, senior inspector Bharat Gaikwad, told him that if they register an FIR, he would have to complete a lengthy process when the vehicle was found. A police constable later visited the spot from where the vehicle was stolen, but didn’t bother to check the CCTV footage of the area, said Khan.

However, according to Devkate, Khan only informed them about the vehicle theft, and then went back, saying that someone might have parked it at a different location. “I did not refuse to file an FIR,” said Devkate.

On Friday morning, when the Nashik rural police caught the three accused travelling in Khan’s Bolero with the fake number plate, senior officers in Mumbai were informed. During an inquiry, it was learnt that the Amboli police did not register an FIR, and a team was sent to Khan’s residence, who brought him to the station to record his statement. An FIR was finally registered on December 15.

Senior inspector Bharat Gaikwad said, “Khan’s statement was recorded at the station and an FIR was registered under section 379 (punishment for theft)of the IPC.”