Car thief surgically altered his face to dodge cops

NEW DELHI: To dodge police investigation, a 35-year-old criminal got plastic surgery done in 2012 to alter his face.

However, his spree of auto thefts came to an end after South East District Police arrested him from Kalkaji area on October 13.

According to police, accused Kunal, alias Tanuj, was arrested along with his associate Irshad Ali. A receiver for one of the stolen cars Mohammad Shadab was also nabbed.

Based on specific information, the arrest was made after a raiding party comprising sub-inspectors Rajender Singh Dagar and Prakash and other police personnel was formed and a trap was laid opposite Eros Hotel on Lala Lajpat Rai Road in Nehru Place.

"The stolen car being driven by the accused was signalled to stop by SI Rajender Dagar. The accused stopped his car 50 metres away from the barricades, came out of the car and started running. The police team then ran after him and was overpowered by the team and caught," police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East) Romil Baaniya told reporters on Sunday that Kunal had started by committing burglar to fulfil his needs.

Soon, he fell into bad company and started stealing cars to fulfil his needs. Kunal is reportedly an expert auto lifter and wanted criminal.

He was known to often be armed and would not hesitate to fire on policemen.

A case at Amar Colony police station against him had also been registered earlier in this regard.

He had also attempted suicide inside the lockup of CR Park police station.

Baaniya further said, "His desperation is reflected in the fact that he had also got plastic surgery done to avoid the police between 2012 and 13. Before that, his identity was with the name Tanuj. His aim with the plastic surgery was to give himself a new identity and to evade arrests in cases where he had been declared a proclaimed offender."

Kunal was previously involved in over 62 different cases of auto-lifting of different police Stations of Delhi and neighbouring states.

The other accused Shadab works as the painter in Ghaziabad.

Shadab was reportedly an expert in tampering engine numbers and chassis numbers of the stolen cars.

He would receive the stolen cars from the accused men, and after punching the cars with a new engine and chassis number, sell them further in the guise of genuine cars.