Vehicles in demand in Guj, Rajasthan, MP

MUMBAI : Stolen vehicles from Mumbai are in great demand in states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, according to the Mumbai police.

A police officer, who worked with the anti-motor vehicle theft unit (MVTU) before it was shut, said, “People who buy scrapped or vehicles damaged in an accident from insurance companies run a racket in connivance with garage owners and mechanics. The modus operandi was unearthed last year, after a gang was busted.”

“They used to buy scrapped vehicles from insurance companies. They would then get in touch with thieves in the city, demanding vehicles of the same make, model and colour. The stolen cars were then sent to a garage where their number plates, engine number and chassis numbers were swapped with the damaged car. These vehicles would then be sold to new customers,” said the officer.

Dheeraj Koli, police inspector, property cell, said, “Earlier, the stolen cars were sold mainly in western parts of India, but the trend has changed. At times, we find the stolen vehicles even in the North-east”.

According to the police, at least three to four groups are involved in stealing a vehicle. Thieves don’t steal random cars, but they look for the specifications mentioned by those running the racket.

“The accused identify the vehicle and keep a close watch on the owner’s routine. They steal it and hand it over to another group after crossing the check-naka in Mumbai and Thane,” said the officer.

Most of the thefts happen at night, so that the vehicle is out of the city before the owner approaches the police, he said. MUMBAI:IN one of the longest running trials in India, a Mumbai metropolitan court took 45 years to reach a verdict against one of the two accused in an assault case. The trial started in 1973, but the prosecution examined only one witness and still failed to bring in enough evidence. With the original case papers missing and even the charge sheet in a tattered condition, the accused was finally acquitted last week.

The court has now ordered the police to file a fresh charge sheet against the main accused.

It started on January 30, 1973. Taxi driver Ghachi Allahrakha was sitting in his parked vehicle in Pydhonie when a truck was trying to enter a factory compound on the busy street. Allahrakha’s cab was blocking the entrance. The truck driver, Jamil-ul-rehman approached Allahrakha and asked him to move his vehicle.

Allahrakha would not budge and got into an argument with Rehman. The fight escalated when he pulled the driver by his collar and they got into a verbal spat. An angry Allahrakha drove away but threatened revenge. He returned later the same day with an accomplice, Abdul Sattar Kasam as well as an iron rod.

A brawl ensued between the duo and a group of men standing by Rehman’s truck, which included the latter’s uncle, Jafar Hasan and a man named Rais Ahmed (both were injured in the fight).

The police arrived at the scene but Allarakha and Kasam fled the spot. They were later arrested and booked for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons. The trial court framed the charges in April, 1973.

Due to Allahrakha’s absence, the trial court separated his case and continued with Kasam’s.

Last week, a metropolitan court held that the testimony of the medical officer — the sole prosecution witness — showed that he did not medically exam-

ine the injured witness.

The additional chief metropolitan magistrate observed, “Apart from the above evidence, there are no original documents available including the complaint, spot panchnama (record of observation) and the medical certificate. Even the original charge sheet is half-torn. No evidence was shown in the recovery.”

The crime that Allahrakha and Kasam were charged with carries a maximum punishment for one year. The Mumbai police now have the task of submitting a fresh charge sheet against the taxi driver, Ghachi Allahrakha, more than four decades after he committed his crime.

People who buy scrap or vehicles damaged in an accident from insurance companies run a racket in connivance with garage owners and mechanics. POLICE OFFICER, who worked with the anti-motor vehicle theft unit