Gang which hacked and stole high-end cars in Delhi-NCR arrested in Greater Noida

A group of five men who stole more than a dozen high-end and luxury vehicles from parking lots in residential and commercial neighbourhoods in Delhi and the National Capital Region in the past few years were arrested after a gunfight at the Greater Noida authority’s dumping groundon Saturday night, police officers aware of the matter said.

According to investigators, the suspects learned a method from the Internet to steal cars by hacking their software. They used a device worth ₹1 lakh to unlock and start the vehicle without setting off the alarm, opened the vehicle’s doors using master keys, and freed the steering wheel by using a magnet, they added.

The Greater Noida police got on the track of the suspects after they received a complaint last month about a stolen SUV from Greater Noida West’s Phase 3.

“Dhanjay Singh Bhadana, 31, a resident of Greater Noida West, told us that his wife Shashi Nagar’s Brezza SUV was stolen on January 15 when she was at her office in Noida’s Sector 68,” said Vijay Kumar, station house officer of the Phase 3 police station.

“We scanned hundreds of CCTV cameras and tracked the suspects using technical intelligence. On Saturday night, we received a tip that the gang was out to steal another car in the city. So we laid a trap at the Phase 3 locality,” SHO Kumar added.

“The police team spotted the suspects near the Parthala bridge in a Swift car. When the team tried to intercept their car, the suspects fired at the police team and managed to escape. The police fired in retaliation and chased them. Ashish Singh, 32, and Firoz Ahmad, 40, were arrested after a gunfight, while Amit Singh, 45, who was driving the car, surrendered,” SHO Kumar said.

“The suspects sold cars in Delhi, Bihar, and Rajasthan. Three cars, including a Brezza, two Swifts, two country-made pistols, a knife, 14 fake number plates, one device scanner, and other equipment, were recovered from their possession,” said Dr Hridesh Katheriya, additional deputy commissioner of police of Central Noida.

“The two other suspects were identified as Dinesh Singh, 27, and Fannu Ali alias Ajmer, 35,” said ADCP Katheriya.