41-year-old vehicle thief from Govandi arrested; 9 auto rickshaws recovered

A 41-year-old vehicle thief, who had been operating in Navi Mumbai and Mumbai for the past several months, was arrested by the city crime branch on Wednesday.

So far, the police have recovered nine stolen auto rickshaws from his possession.

According to the police, the accused, Muslimuddin Shaikh of Bainganvadi in Govandi, Mumbai, would steal the autos parked on the roads and then sell them somewhere out of Mumbai. Two of his accomplices are still at large and the police are looking for them.

Suresh Mengade, deputy commissioner police (crime), said, “We have learned that this gang would sell the stolen vehicles somewhere out of Mumbai after changing their number plates and engine number. But exactly how they did that is still a matter of investigation. The value of the recovered autos is around ₹5.65 lakh and a few of them were stolen from Mumbai too.

“A total of 143 auto rickshaws were stolen from Navi Mumbai in the first nine months of this year and the police have recovered 64 of them. We appeal to the residents not to park their vehicles on roads as such gangs are mostly targetting those vehicles.”