In a recent scam in Delhi, a 29-year-old man has been arrested for impersonating a traffic police officer and towing away expensive vehicles to sell to a scrap dealer. Police have also arrested one of his associates and the buyer of the stolen vehicles.
According to the reports, the scam began 15 days ago and involved the theft of at least six cars. The auto theft ring came to light after a resident of Vasant Kunj B-block reported that his Toyota Camry sedan was towed away from his residence early on March 15 by a man dressed as a traffic policeman.
The alleged mastermind, identified as Vikas Singh from Kusumpur Pahari in south Delhi, was aided by 55-year-old Mahender Singh from Pitampura, who operated a scrapyard in Kanjhawala, and 24-year-old Roshan Ahirwal from Mayapuri. Vikas resorted to the crime to settle his debts quickly, according to police officers involved in the investigation.
Operation Details
The police received a complaint from the Vasant Kunj resident and scanned CCTV footage, which showed the car being towed away by a crane operated by a man in a traffic police uniform. The crane operator, tracked down by the registration number, revealed that he was hired by a “police officer” to confiscate and tow the vehicle to the Kanjhawala scrapyard.
At the scrapyard, police found Mahender, who had dismantled the Camry. He was arrested on May 17. Upon questioning, it was revealed that Vikas had posed as the traffic policeman to get the car towed on March 15. The two had rented a scrapyard to dismantle the vehicles. Vikas was arrested the same day following raids in Kusumpur Pahari.
Police recovered the engine and body of a Camry, the body of a BMW car, a traffic police uniform, and a bike. The involvement of two crane operators is also being investigated.