Varanasi: The Azamgarh police on Friday arrested a member of an interstate auto-lifters’ gang and seized a stolen luxury vehicle worth Rs 50 lakh in Tahbarpur police station area of Azamgarh district.The police exposed the organised network of a gang stealing vehicles from Delhi and taking them to Manipur for sale. The vehicle was being transported with a fake number plate when the police seized it. Cases of two vehicle thefts on Purvanchal Expressway were also registered against the accused in Delhi.In view of Muharram processions, area patrolling and a checking drive were being conducted near Sardaha underpass on Purvanchal Expressway. The police team noticed a white luxury vehicle parked in the rest lane at km No. 226.3 of the expressway in suspicious condition.The police team reached the spot to investigate. On seeing the police, the person sitting in the driver’s seat tried to escape but was caught.During interrogation, he was identified as Toijam Nataraj Singh, a resident of Imphal East district of Manipur. He admitted that the vehicle was stolen from Delhi and a fake number plate was put on it. The actual number of the vehicle was found to be DL10CA0100.Toijam told the police that he was in contact with a person, Amit of Delhi, through a messaging app. Amit used to steal luxury vehicles from Delhi and surrounding areas and provide them to him. After putting fake number plates on the stolen vehicles, he delivered them to one Simre in the Ukhrul area of Manipur, who sold them further.Toijam said that he was given Rs 30,000 for the delivery of each vehicle. He admitted that he delivered two stolen vehicles from Delhi to Manipur. He was taking this vehicle to Manipur and had parked it in the rest lane as he was feeling sleepy.Azamgarh ASP (Rural) Chirag Jain said that the arrested person is an active member of the gang. Further legal action is being taken in the case, he said.
