According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Apoorva Gupta, the probe began with the arrest of Taj Mohammad alias Taju (40) from Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr on August 18 last year. Taju is allegedly a key player in the syndicate and has over 70 cases including robbery, night burglary and vehicle theft registered against him.
Taju’s interrogation led to the arrest of seven others, including Imran Khan alias Guddu (25), a technical expert skilled in bypassing ECM (engine control module) codes; Kunal Jaiswal (24) from Mumbai, a major receiver of stolen vehicles, and Akbar (40), a financier and distributor linked to buyers in northeast India.
The other arrested persons included Mateen Khan (24), Nagender Singh (46), Manish Arya (48) and Nadeem (38).
DCP Gupta said, “A total of 15 high-end vehicles — including three Kia Seltos, three Hyundai SUVs including Alzazar and Creta, three Toyota vehicles including a Fortuner and two Innovas, Maruti models such as Brezza, Swift and Baleno — were recovered during the operation. Police also seized fake registration plates, duplicate remote keys and forged registration certificates from their possession.” She said some of the stolen vehicles were recovered from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The accused were intercepted at various locations including the Purvanchal Expressway in February this year. “Amir Pasha remotely directed the entire operation from Dubai using advanced vehicle hacking tools and programming devices. The gang’s modus operandi involved using key programming kits, disabling GPS (global positioning system) trackers, and transporting vehicles to remote parts of the country or dismantling them for parts,” Gupta added.
The gang used a network of receivers and transporters across various states including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Nagaland. Police said efforts are underway to arrest other absconding members.
