NOIDA: The Noida police on Friday arrested three members of an interstate vehicle theft gang from Sector 50 and seized 22 stolen motorcycles, two scooters, a fake number plate and an illegal pistol, officials said on Saturday.
The suspects were identified as Vishal alias Salim (23) from Araria in Bihar; Deepak (22) from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, and Divakar Sarkar (30) — all three residents of Noida.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (Noida) Manisha Singh said the gang operated across Noida, Delhi and Ghaziabad. “Based on local intelligence and electronic surveillance, a team from Sector 49 police station arrested the three men. Along with stolen two-wheelers and a fake number plate, police also seized an illegal .32 bore country-made pistol with one live cartridge from Vishal alias Salim,” Singh said.
Police said the suspects allegedly confessed to stealing the vehicles after conducting reconnaissance in residential and commercial areas. “The accused told police that they would steal vehicles after identifying potential targets across Noida, Delhi and Ghaziabad. After theft, the vehicles were kept at undisclosed locations and later sold to unsuspecting buyers,” Singh added.
Officials said several of the recovered vehicles were linked to thefts registered in Noida and Delhi. One motorcycle seized during the operation had been reported stolen at Sector 20 police station in Noida, while two others were linked to cases registered in Ashok Nagar and Pul Prahladpur police stations in Delhi.
Police records show that the accused, particularly Vishal, have a long criminal history involving theft, arms-related offences and gang activities. Vishal had been previously booked in multiple cases of vehicle theft and possession of illegal weapons in Noida over the past few years, including cases under the Arms Act and the Gangster Act, police said.
Deepak also has several cases registered against him at Sector 49 police station, including theft, possession of stolen property and offences under the Arms Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Divakar was also found to be involved in the present case and has previous criminal involvement, according to police.
Police said further investigation is underway to identify buyers of the stolen vehicles and to ascertain whether the gang has links to other organised theft networks operating in the region.
“We are verifying the ownership details of all recovered vehicles and examining whether the accused are involved in more theft cases. Further legal action will be taken accordingly,” Singh said.