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New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) The Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested two auto-lifters and recovered six stolen scooters and two motorcycles from their possession. The arrests came after police analyzed over 300 CCTV camera feeds in the south-west district to trace the culprits.
According to a statement issued by the South-West District Police, the arrested persons have been identified as Rohit alias Bona (36), resident of Kailashpuri, Palam Colony, and Pankaj alias Dabra (33), resident of Israel Camp, Rangpuri Pahari, Delhi. Both are accused of being habitual criminals involved in several cases of vehicle theft in the district.
In response to the recent increase in two-wheeler thefts in the South-West district, AATS was directed to investigate the locations of thefts, examine CCTV footage and identify active criminals. A dedicated team was formed under the leadership of Inspector Ram Kumar, in-charge of AATS/South-West district and under the close supervision of ACP (Operations) Vijay Pal Singh Tomar.
The team included ASI Praveen, ASI Jaipal, ASI Dharmendra, ASI Vinod Kumar, HC Mohit, HC Narendra, HC Ravinder, HC Devendra, HC Prashant, HC Manoj Moral and Constable Praveen. Officers were tasked with gathering local intelligence and monitoring suspicious activities in areas where thefts had recently occurred.
After extensive monitoring and review of over 300 CCTV cameras, the team identified two suspects – Rohit, operating in Delhi Cantt sub-division, and Pankaj, operating in Vasant Kunj sub-division. Acting on secret information, police teams conducted separate raids on the night of 10-11 November.
In the first operation, Rohit was caught driving a stolen scooter in Brahmapuri Sagarpur area. On verification, the vehicle was found stolen vide e-FIR No. 029891/25 registered under Section 305 (B) BNS at Paschim Vihar Police Station.
In the second operation, Pankaj was arrested while driving a stolen TVS NTorq scooter from Bengali Tola Park, Rangpuri Pahari. E-FIR No. 024991/25 registered for theft of vehicle under section 305 (B) BNS at Vasant Kunj Police Station.
Later, further inquiries and raids led to more recoveries. Based on Rohit’s disclosure, the police recovered two stolen scooters from Nala Road near Shakuntala Hospital and a stolen motorcycle from near a petrol pump on Pankha Road in Janakpuri. On the behest of Pankaj, two more scooters and a motorcycle were recovered from near Arjun Camp, Mahipalpur.
Police said Rohit has been identified in the CCTV footage linked to e-FIR No. 27557/25 (PS Palam Gaon) and e-FIR No. 23597/25 (PS Sagarpur), confirming his involvement in additional vehicle theft cases.
A senior police officer said both the accused had been involved in similar crimes in the past and used to sell stolen vehicles to buyers in Delhi and surrounding areas. Further investigation is underway to trace his associates and identify possible recipients of the stolen property.
–IANS
JK/DPB