Thiruvananthapuram: Vizhinjam Police, in an undercover operation, hid a civil police officer inside the boot of a car to arrest an alleged interstate vehicle theft racket kingpin, who was also wanted in three murder cases in Tamil Nadu. The arrested person is Nambi Rajan, 24, of Tirunelveli.The operation was conducted in connection with a vehicle theft case filed by a Vizhinjam native earlier this month. The police said the racket targeted vehicle owners who advertised their cars for rent on social media platforms. The gang contacts them, takes the car to Coimbatore, Palakkad and other places and pledges the vehicle there.Police had earlier arrested Joel, 26, of Pathanamthitta, Sabir, 23, a Kasaragod native and Pranav, 31, a Kaapa accused from Thrissur for the theft. During questioning, they allegedly revealed the involvement of Rajan in the case.Based on the information, the police made Pranav contact Rajan, claiming that another car was available to be pledged. CPO Regin then hid inside the boot of the vehicle while Pranav and another associate of Rajan drove it to the suspect’s location near Madurai. A police team, including sub-inspectors Binu, Krishnalal and CPO Vinay Kumar, followed the vehicle.After the vehicle reached the hideout, Regin shared the location with the team and remained inside the boot for nearly 20 minutes. The police team then moved in and arrested Rajan after overpowering him.They said if the vehicles pledged were not redeemed within three months, they were either dismantled for spare parts or handed over to criminal gangs.The stolen car in the Vizhinjam case was recovered after police allegedly made Pranav pay Rs 1.5 lakh to retrieve it from a gangster in Tamil Nadu. The gang is suspected to be involved in around eight similar theft cases across Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Malappuram.
