Two vehicle lifters arrested, motorcycles, cars recovered in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jan 8 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir police claimed to have busted a gang of vehicle lifters in the city when they arrested two people, including an employee in the office of Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, and recovered about a dozen motorcycles.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) city S A Mujtaba told reporters that a special team headed by Station House Officer (SHO) Parvez Ahmad of police station Kothibagh was formed after complaints of vehicle thefts were received in the city.

He said the surveillance in the theft-prone areas was intensified after analysing the nature of the cases.

However, after sustained efforts the team succeeded and nabbed the kingpin Manzoor Ahamed Bhat Alias Mann Pathan a resident of Doolipora Pulwama.

Manzoor was working as an orderly in the Deputy Commissioiner's Office in Pulwama. His associate was identified as Nazir Ahmed Wani also a resident of Pulwama.

The SSP said that during sustained questioning the culprits admitted that during past few months they were operating in Srinagar city and have stolen a number of motorcycles.

At their instance the police recovered ten motorcycles stolen from the city.

Besides this four more bikes and two cars were also recovered by the police.

He said the modus operandi adopted by these lifters was that they worked in buddy pairs by using worn-out keys of the motorcycles as a master key, in crowded places like busy Residency road and Exchange road.

While one used to keep a vigil around, another used to perform the act of stealing.

He said with these arrests the police have solved eleven cases of thefts.

He further said that four more motorcycles have also been seized U/S 550 CrPC, suspected to be stolen and efforts are on to trace their owners. In addition to this, the team has also recovered two cars stolen from Residency road and Exchange road respectively.

UNI