The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Stolen car of JP Nadda’s wife recovered: Police
Joint operation by Delhi, UP and Faridabad police
FROM LAKHIMPUR Kheri to Sitapur to finally in Varanasi – The search for the stolen car of BJP National President JP Nadda's wife Mallika led police to three cities in Uttar Pradesh where the white Toyota Fortuner changed several hands before finally being tracked down earlier this week following a joint operation by the Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Faridabad Police.
On March 19, Joginder Singh, Nadda's driver, filed a complaint at the Govindpuri Police Station stating that their SUV had been stolen from a service centre in Giri Nagar where he left the vehicle for repair before heading out for lunch.
Initially, after tracing CCTV footage, police received a lead that the vehicle, which bore a Himachal Pradesh registration number, had gone towards Gurgaon, said an officer.
A special team of the antiauto theft squad (AATS) of the Southeast district was created and during investigation, several CCTV cameras were analysed. Following their trail, the team reached Budkal in Faridabad, Haryana, and received clues about possible auto lifters Shahid and Shivansh Tripathi, who, along with their gang, were likely involved in the case.
On March 22, the police team got its first breakthrough, when, at the instance of a secret informer, they arrested Tripathi from the vicinity of Patiala House Court.
Said DCP (Southeast) Rajesh Deo, “During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he along with his associates Shahid, a resident of Budkal, and his son-in law Farooq, a resident of Chandan Hola, and one Shahkul committed the theft of the Fortuner car from Giri Nagar. At their instance, a Creta car, which was used by the accused persons in commission of the crime, was recovered. This car, too, was found to be stolen in a case registered at Expressway Gautam Budh Nagar Police Station.”
Police said during further interrogation, the accused persons disclosed that after the theft, the vehicle was shifted to Farooq's farmhouse in Faridabad.
Said an officer, “...The accused revealed that he along with Shahid sold the stolen Fortuner to another man, identified as Saleem in Lakhimpur Kheri, who is engaged in the business of selling luxury stolen cars in different cities of UP such as Moradabad, Sitapur, Hathras, Mainpuri etc.”
At the instance of Tripathi, raids were conducted at Lakhimpur Kheri and co-accused Saleem was apprehended by police. Saleem disclosed that he had further sold the Fortuner to one Mohd Raees alias Pappu, a resident of Sitapur. He, too, was arrested.
The police team's search, though, was not over yet. The personnel learnt that Raees had further sold the vehicle to one Furkan of Amroha.
Raees informed police that the vehicle was parked at Beniya Bagh parking in Varanasi, from where it was finally recovered on April 4. In all, five people have been taken in police custody in the case.