The crime branch of the Sector 26 police today claimed to have arrested four members of a gang of car thieves, who used to allegedly sell stolen high-end SUVs in the north-eastern parts of the country at cheap prices.
The modus operandi of the gang was unique as it would use a tablet and other high-end gadgets to hijack the engine control module (ECM), prepare a duplicate key on the spot and a jammer to disable the GPS and security system of the car, said the in-charge of the Sector 26 crime branch, Inspector Aman Kumar, who led the two police teams which cracked the case. Although all suspects were merely Class XII pass, they were tech savvy and friendly with modern gadgets, he added.
The suspects have been identified as Sunny (the mastermind), Sandeep and Ashok, residents of Hisar, and Surender, a resident of Sirsa. Two of them were arrested from Sector 21 and the other two from Sethi Dhaba, Dera Bassi.
The police also arrested a resident of Arunachal Pradesh, Lechi, who bought a stolen car from them.
“Lechi is a dismissed constable of the Arunachal Pradesh Police. He used to sell stolen vehicles further to other customers at higher prices,” said the police.
Two high-end SUVs stolen from the city – both Toyota Fortuner — have also been recovered from their possession.
These cars were stolen from Sector 21 on September 25, and Sector 7 on October 8.
“They (suspects) had sold these cars in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. However, the team investigating the matter managed to recover these cars during the 10-day police custody of the suspects,” the police added.
These cases were registered at the Sector 5 and Sector 7 police stations, respectively.
According to the police, on being questioned, the gang members confessed that they used to steal high-end cars parked in public and residential areas and would later sell these in the north-eastern region.
Two of the suspects – Sandeep and Surender – have a criminal record.
