Stolen SUV hits policemen in west Delhi; 2 cops injured, 3 thieves arrested

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) Three inter-state vehicle thieves were arrested after a stolen SUV fitted with a fake number plate allegedly attempted to run over police personnel, injuring two officers, when they were intercepted in west Delhi, an official said on Friday.

A purported video of the incident has gone viral on social media, which captured the dramatic chase. In the video, it can be seen that Delhi Police brought the SUV to a halt by positioning a towing truck directly in its path as the vehicle tried to make an escape.

Officers trailed the SUV closely and then sprinted towards it, smashing the window to nab the accused once the vehicle was forced to stop. Police were seen striking the SUV and attempting to break in as the driver made attempts to flee by steering the vehicle backwards. The footage were captured on CCTV, as stunned onlookers watched the scene unfold.

The arrests were made after ground surveillance revealed that the SUV, a Kia Seltos, was being used in multiple high-end vehicle theft cases across the city.

"The SUV bearing a duplicate number plate to evade detection was allegedly involved in the theft of premium cars in different areas. The suspicious vehicle had been repeatedly noticed near the Vivek Vihar ITI underpass around 11 pm over the past few days," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Darade Sharad Bhaskar said.

Acting on specific and credible inputs, a team laid a trap on the intervening night of January 15-16, he said. When the police team signalled the vehicle to stop, the accused allegedly drove the vehicle straight at the police personnel in a life-threatening move, he said.

"Head constable Devender and constable Manish were hit by the speeding vehicle and thrown towards the footpath, sustaining injuries. In the course of the escape bid, the accused also rammed into public vehicles, causing panic and posing a serious risk to commuters on the busy stretch," the DCP said.

He further said that despite the danger and injuries, the team surrounded the vehicle and overpowered all three accused after a brief struggle.

The accused were identified as Mashrur (56), Asif (42) and Aqeel (40), all residents of Uttar Pradesh.

"The injured policemen were immediately shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. Their medico-legal certificates were prepared. Separate legal action will also be taken in this case," the DCP said.

During verification, the SUV was found to have been stolen from the Mukherjee Nagar area on September 2 last year. Police said the accused had been using the stolen SUV to commit thefts and conduct reconnaissance in different parts of Delhi.

A case has been registered at the Vivek Vihar police station and further investigation into the matter is underway.

"Mashrur has a criminal history of at least 17 previous cases, while Aqeel is allegedly involved in 27 cases. Asif has been found to have involvement in two earlier cases. We are now working to trace the gang's backward and forward linkages and their involvement in other theft cases reported in Delhi and neighbouring states," he added. PTI BM SSJ SSJ MNK MNK