Five apprehended in luxury car theft ring

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has dismantled a notorious carjacking syndicate led by Sharad Pandey, responsible for over 100 car thefts across Delhi-NCR between 2015 and 2018. Five key members, including Pandey, have been arrested, with charges framed under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), while two others, Dare Mada Yangda and Yusuf Ali, remain absconding.

The gang, active for more than a decade, specialised in luxury vehicles, abducting drivers at gunpoint and disposing of cars in Arunachal Pradesh and other northeastern states.

They were also linked to murder, kidnapping for ransom, and robbery. Pandey, with a criminal record spanning two decades and over 45 cases including contract killings, was a registered offender at Bindapur Police Station.

Police investigations revealed property worth nearly ₹80 lakh in Lucknow, allegedly bought with criminal proceeds in Pandey’s father’s name.