Massive vehicle racket busted by STF

The elite Special Task Force (STF) had busted a massive vehicle racket yesterday when it seized seven vehicles valued at Rs.11 million and arrested the main suspect who was allegedly behind it.

The suspect was arrested along with two other associates during a raid carried out in Kiribathgoda. It was found that the main suspect had been operating under five aliases in order to carry out these illegal activities.

Explaining the modus operandi of these vehicle thieves, Inspector Nadeeka Silva, who led the raid, said that initially they select the registration number of vehicles that were put for rent by various individuals in the papers and on the internet. Thereafter they pay a visit to the vehicle owner where the main suspect poses as a gem businessman who was interested in renting the vehicle. The bogus buyer posses fake documents which he shows to the vehicle owner and thus agrees a price for the vehicle. After tricking the vehicle owner into believing that they were legitimate buyers they pay an advance and take away the vehicle,” he said.

“Several days later the suspects sell the vehicle or mortgage it using fraudulent documents and fake vehicle number plates,” he noted. IP Silva noted that it was widely suspected that these men have a close link with a person working inside the Registrar of Motor Vehicles (RMV) office. “Our teams seized two vehicles from Galle, two from Piliyandala, and two from Horana with one also from Kiribathgoda. They include four brand new Maruti-Suzuki’s and three brand new trishaws. “There are many more vehicles that had been stolen and sold in this manner and many more suspects to be apprehended,” he said.