Srinagar, June 28: Changing the modus operandi, the police said, car stealers now work in coordination with their counterparts and make the stolen lot change looks within hours of the theft. After lifting the vehicle, they change its color, temper chassis number, alter spare parts, or simply dissemble it, that too within two-to-three hours.
 In once such incident, the police while exposing the well organised inter district network of car lifters recovered stolen vehicles worth Rs 50 lakh. They also detained seven car stealers during the ongoing investigation.
 DIG Central Kashmir, Abdul Gani Mir while giving details about the case in old city’s Mahraj Gunj police station said the north City police received several complaints regarding the car theft in the area and investigations were started.
 “During the investigations, an inter district gang was exposed who used to steal cars,” DIG flanked by SSP Srinagar, Syed Ashiq Hussain Bukhari and other officials, said. “It was revealed to us that the car lifters had divided themselves into different areas of operation. After lifting the car, they would drive the cars to other districts where their accomplices would be waiting. They would change its colors, bring alteration in the shape or dissemble it and sell the parts in the open market”.
 The top cop said the inter district network of car lifters was so organised and swift that the whole process would take no more than three hours.
  “They generally used to steal the cars in the pre-dawn hours,” Mir said. “The busting of the racket led to the recovery of stolen property worth Rupees 50 lakh. It includes four Maruti cars, one each Tata Sumo, Tavera, Indigo, Indica. Besides we have seized four vehicles under section 550 CRPC.”
 He said of the seized vehicle, six theft cases were already registered at police station MR Gunj.
 The police identified the seven accused car lifters as Muzzafar Ahmad, Khurshid Ahmad, both residents of Pulwama, Muzzafar Ahmad of Madakpal Pampore, Nazir Ahmad of Manigah Kupwara, Ghulam Qadir of Pulwama, Fayaz Wani of Awantipora and Shabir Ahmad of Gulab Bagh.
 “The case is under investigation and more arrests are expected soon,” the DIG said 
 Mir said police also recovered 347 logs timbers from Rajouri Kadal and Namchikadal Fateh Kadal during a Naka.
 “In this regard two cases under FIR numbers 379 RPC 6FA and 39/2100 undersection 379 RPC 6 FA were registered in police station Mahraj Gunj,” DIG said. “Three persons were detained in this connection”.
 The police identified the accused as Asim-ur-Rehman of Malik Sahib Safakadal Srinagar, Muhamamd Asraf and Ghulam Nabi of Fatehkadal.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 IST