Auto-lifter stole car keys from cleaners, arrested
NEWDELHI: The police have nabbed a 33-year-old man who allegedly stole car keys from cleaners in posh neighbourhoods in the morning, replaced them with fake ones and later stole the vehicles with the help of his accomplices at the first opportunity.
Nine stolen vehicles have been recovered from Pramod alias Ganja, who was arrested on May 4.
Police said they stole expensive cars from different areas in the national capital region and sold them in western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
Explaining how the gang got hold of the keys, deputy commissioner of police ( crime) Bhisham Singh said, “In many colonies, one person is tasked with cleaning 7-8 cars. The cleaner usually keeps the car keys on top of the vehicle after washing it. Once the vehicle is washed, the cleaner’s job is done. The cleaner would unknowingly hand over the identical but fake keys to the owner. When the owners are unable to open the car with the fake keys, they used duplicate keys to drive.”
Police said Pramod and his associates would keep watch on the owners’ movements and the place where they would park their car later.
“Pramod and his accomplices would follow the owner. They would wait for the owner to park the car and steal it using the key they had stolen earlier,” the officer said.
Police said Pramod was arrested after police received a tip-off about him meeting his associate at Old Kakrola Road in Najafgarh.
“We laid a trap and saw him near the Delhi Jal Board office in Kakrola. He fired at the police team when he was asked to stop. Our team overpowered him and arrested him,” a senior officer said.
Police said the nine stolen vehicles police recovered include a Fortuner, Eco Sports, Honda City, Baleno and Swift.