Proclaimed offender with 70 auto-theft cases arrested by Delhi Police

New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) The Delhi Police has apprehended a 34-year-old proclaimed offender from Punjab's Patiala wanted in multiple auto theft cases, an official said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Avtar Singh alias Hunny Singh, has 70 previous involvements in vehicle theft cases across different districts of Delhi, he said.

Singh, a school dropout who studied till Class 8, initially worked in the Mayapuri area where he came into contact with local auto-lifters. He gradually learned to unlock and dispose of stolen vehicles and got into the trade full-time for easy money, he added.

"Avtar Singh had been on the run for a long time and frequently changed his location to evade arrest. He was finally tracked and arrested on June 10 after receiving specific intelligence inputs and mounting technical surveillance," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vikram Singh said. He was arrested from Punjab's Patiala.

The accused was wanted in several cases and had been declared a proclaimed offender in four separate FIRs registered at police stations including Khayala, Mayapuri, Tilak Nagar, and Nangloi.

Proceedings under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) are underway in a case registered at Rani Bagh police station, and a Non-Bailable Warrant had also been issued against him in another case from the same station, the officer said.

During previous arrests, a large number of stolen vehicles were recovered from him, the DCP said. His younger brother, Gurjeet Singh alias Happy, is also a vehicle thief and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with over 50 criminal cases. PTI SSJ HIG