PIMPRI: The sleuths from Crime Branch unit 1 of Pimpri-Chinchwad police have arrested a garage owner, who used to steal cars from Punjab, Haryana and sell them here after changing their engines. The police have recovered 12 such cars and engines, which theu used to remove from damaged cars bought from insurance companies, totally worth Rs 2.19 crore.
The arrested person has been identified as Chanprit Harvinderpal Singh (43), who owned a garage near Ganeshnagar, Ravet. His accomplice is yet to arrested.
The police said that there are 10 cases of vehicle theft registered against Singh in Punjab. He hails from Punjab but presently lives in Pune and New Delhi. Commissioner of Police Sandeep Bishnoi while addressing a press conference on Tuesday said, “The accused used to replace registration number plates and chassis numbers of stolen cars, with those of the damaged cars which he used to buy from insurance companies at cheap rates. Then the stolen cars were sold to people at various prices.”
Acting on a tip-off received by Assistant Police Inspector Ganesh Patil and Constable Sachin More that stolen cars were being sold at the garage located on the road connecting Bhakti Shakti Chowk and Mukai Chowk, a team led by Police Inspector Uttam Tangade raided the garage on January 26. The police found that an Innova car had Maharashtra registration but the engine details showed that the car was booked in Punjab.
Inspector Tangade said, “The accused used to recce in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi for same model, colour of cars as the one he had bought from insurance companies. After stealing the cars, he used to drive them to Pune. He would travel by flight and return in stolen cars. He had been selling stolen cars for Rs 10 to 18 lakh to buyers.”
DCP Sudhir Hiremath, ACPs RR Patil, Shridhar Jadhav supervised the investigation team which included PSI Kaluram Landge and other policemen.
RECOVERED CARS
The police said that the arrested accused and his accomplice sold four Innovas, Fortuner, Maruti Swift, 2 Hyundai Vernas, Maruti Ertiga, Maruti Alto, Volkswagon Polo and Maruti Ritz. Now, these vehicles have been siezed from various buyers in Pune, Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Goa, Satara, Ahmednagar, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Ale Phata.
