New Delhi

Ina major breakthrough against organised vehicle theft, the team of Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS), South-West District, Delhi Police, has busted a notorious inter-state auto thief gang and arrested eight accused persons, including five auto thieves and three receivers of stolen vehicles.

With their arrest, police recovered a total of 10 stolen vehicles, including nine cars and one motorcycle, along with 18 pairs of fake number plates, 21 remote keys used for preparing duplicate vehicle keys, and vehicle theft equipment, including OBD scanners, drill machines, and lock-breaking tools.

Keeping in view the recent rise in vehicle thefts in the South-West District, a dedicated team of AATS/SWD was constituted under the leadership of Inspector Ram Kumar and the supervision of ACP Sanghamitra to identify and apprehend auto lifters operating in Delhi-NCR. The team analysed CCTV footage, gathered technical and human intelligence, and developed information about an active vehicle theft syndicate.

On February 3, acting on a tip-off, the team laid a trap near Baba Gangnath Marg, Munirka. At about 7:00 am., a Hyundai Creta was intercepted after the driver attempted to flee. The accused, Asim alias Hasim alias Diwana (35), a resident of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended. Verification revealed that the vehicle bore fake registration plates and had been stolen in an e-FIR registered at Police Station Model Town.

Accordingly, FIR No. 44/2026 under relevant BNS provisions was registered at Police Station Kishangarh.

Further investigation led to the arrest of seven associates, including receivers of stolen vehicles. The accused were found to be part of an organised inter-state vehicle theft syndicate that used duplicate keys and electronic devices to steal vehicles and either sell them using forged documents or dismantle them for spare parts.

Police recovered 10 stolen vehicles, 18 pairs of fake number plates, 21 remote keys, and vehicle-theft tools. The operation resulted in the detection of 10 vehicle theft cases across Delhi. Further investigation is in progress.