Delhi: Vehicle thief held after 100-km chase, 4 luxury cars recovered

New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) A man allegedly involved in several cases of vehicle theft was arrested after a 100-kilometre chase from Delhi to Murthal in Haryana, during which he attempted to ram police personnel with a stolen SUV, an official said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Amandeep Singh, a resident of Amritsar in Punjab, was caught by a joint team, and a stolen Fortuner car was recovered from him, while three more luxury vehicles were later traced to Punjab on his instance.

"A case was reported on July 29 regarding the theft of an Innova car from Pandav Nagar. Investigation suggested the involvement of Singh, who is part of a gang specialising in stealing high-end push-start vehicles," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan said.

On the night of August 11, the accused picked up a stolen Fortuner from Delhi and was heading towards Punjab when the police received information. A joint team chased him for nearly 100 kilometres, the officer mentioned further.

"At the Murthal toll plaza in Haryana, Singh tried to escape by attempting to run over the pursuing policemen. He then abandoned the vehicle and hid in the adjoining fields but was later overpowered after a search operation that last for hours," said the DCP.

A separate case was registered in Murthal regarding his attempt to assault police personnel.

During questioning, Singh allegedly disclosed his role in a larger syndicate of vehicle thieves who employed a unique modus operandi.

"They first identified luxury vehicles fitted with electronic security systems and took photographs of the hologram pasted on their windscreens. The image, which contained a unique code, was sent to a technical expert based in Dubai. The expert decoded the system and generated a new code, which was relayed back to the gang. Using specialised equipment programmed with the fresh code, the gang members would break the window glass, bypass the system and drive away with the vehicle," he added.

Singh's role in the network was primarily that of transporting stolen vehicles from Delhi to Punjab for further disposal. On his instance, investigators recovered three other luxury cars -- two Hyundai Cretas and one Kia Seltos -- from Punjab.

According to the police, Singh is a habitual offender and has previously been involved in nine cases of theft, forgery and cheating in Delhi. These cases were registered across police stations, including Rani Bagh, Sagarpur, Punjabi Bagh, Naraina, Model Town and Ambedkar Nagar, besides multiple online FIRs for motor vehicle theft.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. PTI BM BM MPL MPL