Pune Rural Police Crack Inter-State Car Theft Case; Seize Vehicles Valued at Rs.11.40 Lakh.
Pune Rural Police Crack Inter-State Car Theft Case; Seize Vehicles Valued at ₹11.40 Lakh.
In a major breakthrough, Pune Rural Police have arrested the leader of an inter-district gang involved in vehicle theft, utilizing advanced technologies and equipment, officials reported on Thursday. The suspect has been identified as Nadeem Daud Sheikh, a 32-year-old resident of Buldhana.
The police stated that a vehicle theft case was filed at the Shirur Police Station on August 26. After the case was registered, the crime branch began investigating and reviewing CCTV footage from the area. They received information indicating that Sheikh had stolen a car from Shirur, which was later located in Buldhana. Acting on this information, officials from the crime branch and Buldhana police set up a trap and arrested Sheikh in Kumbephal, Jalna. During questioning, Sheikh admitted to the crime, revealing that he had assistance from his accomplices Vishal Jadhav and Kishor Pawar. The police recovered two cars from him, in addition to the stolen vehicle from Shirur, with a total value of ₹11.40 lakh.
Pankaj Deshmukh, the Superintendent of Police for Pune Rural, detailed how the crime was carried out. He mentioned that the criminals first traveled to an old market in Punjab to purchase an OBDStar Key Master, a sophisticated tool used for automotive diagnostics and key programming. Deshmukh explained that after assessing the model year of the vehicle, the gang would unlock the door by inserting a wire or strip through the side window. They then connected their electronic device to the car to power it on. Using dummy software, they activated a duplicate key, allowing them to start the vehicle and drive it away. Once the cars were stolen, they were transported to various states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where the parts were sold.
Sheikh has admitted to being involved in 11 cases of four-wheeler theft across several districts, including Ahmednagar, Pune Rural, Jalgaon, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Jalna, and Buldhana. Additionally, the crime branch has recovered four four-wheelers from Tamil Nadu that Sheikh had stolen last year. This indicates a broader network of vehicle thefts linked to his activities, showcasing the organized nature of the gang’s operations.
