Pune: 17 vehicles stolen by couple seized by Sinhagad Road police
Pune: 17 vehicles stolen by couple seized by Sinhagad Road police
Sinhgad Road police have arrested a couple for stealing as many as 17 vehicles including nine two-wheelers and eight cars worth Rs 12.70 lakh from the city.
17 June 2024
Pune – The Sinhagad Road police have arrested a couple for stealing two-wheelers and cars from the city. About 17 vehicles including nine two-wheelers and eight cars worth Rs 12.70 lakh have been seized from them. The duo was arrested from the Wadki Nala area on Saswad Road.
The arrested have been identified as Shahrukh Raju Pathan (24) and Ayesha Shahrukh Pathan alias Pooja Jaidev Madanal (21), both residents of Kunjirwadi, Loni Kalbhor. It was found that the Pathan couple had stolen vehicles from Warje Malwadi, Koregaon Park, Sinhagad Road, and Hadapsar areas. They have several cases of vehicle theft registered against them in the past.
As there was an increase in the number of vehicles being stolen from the Sinhagad Road area, the Sinhagad Road police had been investigating the cases registered in this regard for the last two months. During the investigation, the police received a tip-off about the thieves’ whereabouts. On June 7, the duo was sitting in a car in the Ghat section area. Accordingly, a police team was dispatched and the duo was arrested sitting in a Hyundai Xcent car at the spot.
During interrogation, they admitted to the crime and revealed details about the stolen vehicles. In addition to 17 vehicles, multiple keys, a knife, and scissors were also seized by the police. According to the police sub-inspector of Sinhagad police station Santosh Bhandwalkar, both the accused did not own a home in Pune. They were staying at different lodges in various places across the city and conducting surveillance throughout the day. They used to go out at night and steal vehicles from different locations. The accused Shahrukh Pathan worked as a garage mechanic so he had multiple master keys in his possession and knew the technical functions of vehicles.
They targeted specific models like the Maruti Suzuki Eeco, Hyundai Xcent, Scorpio, etc due to their familiarity with opening them. They began indulging in criminal activities shortly after they got married a couple of years ago, despite having a one-month-old baby. The stolen vehicles were sold in Nagpur, Shirdi, and Srirampur at rates of Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000 for four-wheelers and Rs10,000-Rs15,000 for two-wheelers.
They had 14 cases registered across various police stations between mid-2021 and 2024. They remained in jail until the first week of February 2024. Soon after their release, they resumed their criminal activities and stole 17 vehicles across various locations in the city.
