Astrologer, aide held for stealing cars
NEWDELHI: A 41-year-old astrologer from Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan and his associate have been arrested for allegedly stealing high-end cars in Delhi and the National Capital Region and selling them across the country using forged documents, police said on Saturday.
Four stolen luxury cars, which included an Audi and a BMW, worth more than ₹1 crore, were recovered from the men. Police said prime accused Nishit Shastri, who holds a management degree, has participated in many shows on astrology and fortune telling on news and religious channels. His associate, Joy Vig from Haryana’s Faridabad, allegedly used to steal high-end cars as per Shastri’s demand.
“Shastri used to purchase stolen luxury cars from Vig to make an impression on his clients and make them believe that he was doing well in his astrology and palmistry practices,” said Romil Baaniya, deputy commissioner of police (south).
On Tuesday, Baaniya said, the Hauz Khas police received information regarding the pres- ence of an auto-lifter along with a stolen Innova car near Siri Fort. “A raid was conducted and Joy Vig was caught with an Innova, which he had stolen from RK Puram area last year,” said the DCP.
According to the police, Vig revealed during his interroga- tion that he had stolen several luxury cars in Delhi-ncr and sold them to his receiver, Nishit Shastri, in Vrindavan. The investigating team went to Vrindavan and arrested Shastri. “A BMW 5 Series, an Audi Q3, and a Volkswagen Vento were seized from Shastri’s residence,” added Baaniya.
Police said Vig worked as a taxi driver and used to keep an eye on cars he wanted to steal. He used to lure drivers of luxury cars by promising them job on a higher salary.
“After gaining confidence of such drivers, Vig used to take test drives of their vehicles and flee with the cars and its original keys. Shastri purchased stolen cars from Vig and after changing their documents sold them to potential customers across India. The availability of original keys created minimum suspicion in the buyer’s mind,” added Baaniya.