New Delhi: The Delhi Police have arrested two men in connection with a major inter-state SUV theft and smuggling racket, recovering vehicles worth over ₹1 crore, along with arms, fake number plates, and dismantled vehicle parts. The accused allegedly sold the stolen vehicles across multiple states including Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and West Bengal.
The accused were identified as Ashraf Sultan, a habitual offender with 16 past cases, and Irshad alias Baba, a garage operator from Bilaspur who modified and dismantled stolen vehicles. Police said Irshad’s garage served as a hub for storing and altering stolen SUVs before resale in poorly regulated second-hand car markets.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Abhishek Dhania, the gang used master keys to unlock high-end SUVs, replaced their registration plates with fake numbers, and sold them through an underground network.
Acting on specific intelligence, police apprehended Ashraf near Nala Road in Ghazipur. He was found in possession of a loaded pistol and a stolen vehicle for which he had no ownership documents. After verifying the engine and chassis number, the vehicle was confirmed as stolen, and a fresh Arms Act case was registered at Ghazipur Police Station.
Ashraf disclosed details of a wider vehicle smuggling syndicate, revealing that stolen cars from Delhi were routed to Meerut and other regions before being sold off. This led police to Irshad’s garage in Bilaspur, where they found an SUV and a dismantled car engine linked to thefts in Hauz Khas and Vivek Vihar.
Further raids in Noor Nagar Colony, Murad Nagar (Ghaziabad) led to the recovery of two more SUVs linked to thefts in Pandav Nagar and Mandawali.
Police say the gang is part of a larger vehicle smuggling network, and efforts are underway to track down other suspects, identified as Sakir alias Gaddu, Ujair, and Rashid alias Kala.
