a day ago
Chandigarh Police busts gang involved in more than 11 vehicle thefts, arrests ‘kingpin', three others
The Chandigarh Police's Operation Cell has claimed to have busted a notorious interstate gang allegedly involved in vehicle thefts across Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.
The police have arrested three vehicle lifters and one receiver of stolen property, reportedly solving 11 vehicle theft cases related to the group known as Munna gang.
A police team conducted a series of raids and naka operations. On June 26, the police arrested accused Aslam, a Ludhiana resident, from Sector 26 during a naka operation near the National Institute of Technical Teacher Training Research. He was found riding a stolen motorcycle (Splendor).
According to the police, during the interrogation, Aslam revealed the whereabouts of his two gang members — Navneet Pratap Singh of Kanpur and Manoj Thakur, alias Munna, of Moradabad, who were later arrested from near the Sports Complex, Manimajra. A stolen bike (Royal Enfield Bullet) reported missing from Sector 22, was also recovered.
Thakur, the alleged kingpin of the gang, is a proclaimed offender and is involved in over 33 criminal cases across the northern states, police said. His accomplice, Aslam, has a record of over a dozen vehicle theft cases. The gang confessed to stealing vehicles in Chandigarh and later transporting them to Ludhiana for dismantling, resale, or disposal of parts like batteries.
On the basis of their disclosures, police recovered three Honda City vehicles, three Honda Activa, three Hero Splendor and three Royal Enfield motorcycles, and eight batteries.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Jaiparkash alias Betia from New Smart Colony, Ludhiana — a known receiver of stolen property. Documents of stolen vehicles and batteries were recovered from his possession.
All accused were presented before the court and have been remanded in two days of police custody to aid further investigation and recovery efforts.
