New Delhi: A team of Special Staff of Delhi Police busted an inter-state gang of auto lifters recently with the arrest of four people, police said on Friday. The modus operandi is spread across four states — Delhi, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
With the recent complaint of Mohammad Ikhlaque, a resident of Krishna Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave, on October 3, the team of Southwest district started investigating the auto lifting network. With the help of technical surveillance, the first arrest was made from Delhi's Uttam Nagar. The accused was identified as Abid, a resident of Amroha, UP. During interrogation, he confessed that he is a member of the Sarik Satta gang (having previously involvement in 15 cases including NSA, Gunda Act). He further disclosed that he acts as a carrier in the gang and he received the stolen Fortuner from Aamir, Safar and Sikander at Kashmiri Gate, Delhi and then handed over it to Johnson and Vidyasunder at Imphal (Manipur) on the direction of his boss Sarik Satta, who is operating the gang from Dubai, police said.
Cops identified another gang member as Mohd Asif aka Patu of Meerut who is actively involved in this type of vehicle theft and sells the stolen vehicles to Indore, Devas, Madhya Pradesh. Then two separate teams visited Meerut and Manipur and conducted raids. The team of Delhi Police succeeded to apprehend the main receiver Sagolsem Johnson Singh, a resident of Langing Achoueba Awang Leikai, Imphal West and seized 14 Fortuner and Creta from outer skirts of Imphal, which found stolen from Delhi-NCR.
The other arrested person was identified as Salman, a resident of Jalla Colony Khajrana of Indore of Madhya Pradesh. Cops successfully recovered 21 high-end luxury cars with automatic transmission from Imphal, other adjoining districts in Manipur and Indore.
Meanwhile, police confirmed that notice to the transport department and insurance companies have been issued to provide data on total loss and registration from Manipur and Indore. Further investigation is in progress, DCP Southwest district Gaurav Sharma said.