Mumbai police bust gang of four SUV thieves, recover 10 vehicles

The Chembur police on Thursday busted a gang thieves who stole sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and cars from the city and sold them at various places in the country. At least ten vehicles which they sold have been recovered.  

Explaining their modus operandi, the police said that the gang members use to lure the victims by offering them deals stating that their vehicles would be hired at a good price by call centres.

They then took the vehicles for ‘trials’ and got duplicate keys made. To avoid any suspicion by the victims, they lay in wait for at least three months and then committed the crime.  

While four people have been arrested in this connection, police said that there are more people involved in the racket. A number of vehicles have been stolen from the city and the suburbs in the recent past.  

The mastermind of the racket, identified as Krishna Madarboina, 25, would first get in touch with the victim. His accomplice Zuber Shaikh would then take the vehicle for a test drive and get its duplicate keys made before returning it to the owner.

Another accomplice, Paras Baraiya, 24, would steal the vehicle on a decided day after the victim was asked to come with the vehicle to a designated place.

Being done with this, Dadapeer Mohammad Shaikh, 40, a scrap dealer from Hubli in Karnataka, would then look for prospective buyers.   

Clients were told that these vehicles were recovered by banks from defaulters who would not pay the loan instalments and that they were later sold in auction.

Deputy commissioner of police, Zone-VI, Dilip Sawant, said: “The case came to light when a person named Raja Pandyan was asked to bring his Tavera to Ambedkar Garden in Chembur on September 14. The unidentified caller had asked Pandyan to meet him at a hospital. But by the time he reached there, the same caller informed him that his vehicle had been towed away by the police.”

However, when Pandyan checked with the police, he could not find his vehicle. Madarboina, a travel agent, had contacts in call centres and knew other travel agents. He also knew car owners who rented out their vehicles.

He would get in touch with them and dupe them into getting their cars for trial. Once stolen, the vehicle was kept hidden at some place till Shaikh got a client for it. 

Pandyan had got in touch with Madarboina to get his vehicle hired by a call centre. Madarboina had asked his accomplice to take the vehicle for test drive. 

The police have seized two Chevrolet Taveras, six Tata Indicas and a Fiat Palio. They expect to recover many more vehicles which might have been stolen by the gang.

A police team from Chembur and also other personnel from Zone VI, including a special squad of the DCP are questioning travel agents and car owners in the region who rent out their cars.

They are being asked whether they had been approached by the accused. Also, the police are checking records of cars stolen in the recent past as it is suspected that the accused were involved in these operations for more than a year.