4 held for vehicle theft; three cars, 9 cell phones seized

Four people, of an alleged car theft gang, were arrested by the APMC police who have recovered three vehicles from them. The gang has confessed to several thefts in the city.

According to deputy commissioner of police (zone I) Shahji Umap, on the night of October 30, police constables patrolling the Sector 19C area of Vashi spotted four people standing near a special utility vehicle (SUV) and a sedan outside a garage.

“When the constables confronted the four, they started to flee. The constables managed to nab two of the men, Abid alias Salman Mukhtar Khan and Omprakash Upadhyay,” said Umap.

During interrogation, the duo claimed that they had given the SUV for repair at the garage but the garage owner denied the claims.

“Following sustained interrogation, the two confessed that they, along with their accomplices, were planning to steal the SUV and had stolen the sedan from Mumbai,” said Umap.

The police caught the other two, Bhiwandi residents Javed alias Bablu Khan and Altaf Ali, on Tuesday based on information provided by Salman and Upadhyay.

“We have recovered three four-wheelers, nine mobile phones, 67 duplicate keys and tools used in the thefts,” said Umap.

“The accused have confessed to stealing vehicles in Navi Mumbai, Thane, Mumbai, Pune and other cities. We are yet to arrest the leader of the gang,” said Maya More, senior inspector, APMC police station.

She informed, “The officers and personnel who worked on the case have been awarded Rs 10,000 by Umap.”