Lucknow cops seize 30 more stolen luxury cars

LUCKNOW: The probe into theft of high-end cars helped Lucknow Police recover 30 luxury cars including three BMWs, four Fortuners, and several others including Hyundai Creta and Honda City from Moradabad, Meerut, Sitapur, Kanpur on Monday night, increasing the total number of seized stolen vehicles to 80 in the last two days.
The investigations revealed a huge pan-India racket also involving workers and agents of some private insurance companies.
The cost of the recovered stolen vehicles is estimated to be around Rs 30 crore.
Lucknow police commissioner, Sujeet Pandey, said the recoveries were made on the basis of information revealed by Mohammed Rizwan (50), the mastermind of the gang arrested on Sunday, during questioning.
‘Insurance agents are in connivance with auto dealers’
Mohammed Rizwan, a hotelier in Bangkok, and Bhojpuri film actor Nasir Khan (42) were among the five men arrested on Sunday by Lucknow police which recovered 50 high-end cars from three different locations in the city.
Pandey, who personally monitored the operations that led to the busting of gang, told TOI, “During sustained interrogation, Rizwan revealed several names of people associated with private insurance companies through whom he had purchased cars and SUVs damaged in accidents.”
“All these insurance firm men were operating in connivance with second-hand auto dealers across India. Rizwan has revealed 11 names so far. Our police teams will be going soon and will take logistic support from police of respective states,” said Pandey.
The police commissioner further said that aides of Rizwan operated across India.
“If a car got damaged in a road accident in Kashmir, his men contacted the owner in connivance with insurance company staff and agents. They used to steal registration papers in case the owner died in accident or purchased the damaged vehicle by offering a price to owner,” he said.
“Then the gang hunted for a brand new vehicle of same make in Silchar, Assam and stole it. The engine and chassis number of the damaged car were put on the stolen one using hi-tech tools. The stolen vehicle was then sold in Jaipur or any city in a third state,” said the CP. Similar vehicles were also traced in Telangana where credentials of cars damaged in road accident in Manali were used.