Jonai police bust inter-state car theft racket, one held
At least 15 vehicles were recovered over the past week that were fraudulently rented in Assam and later sold off in Arunachal Pradesh.
Guwahati, Jan 18: Jonai police have cracked a sprawling inter-State car theft racket, recovering at least 15 vehicles over the past week that were fraudulently rented in Assam and later sold off in Arunachal Pradesh.
The alleged mastermind of the operation, Rupjyoti Das (38), a resident of Regent Paradise at Ghoramora Chariali in Guwahati, has been arrested. Police say Das ran the scam for nearly two years, with the actual number of vehicles sold illegally believed to be far higher.
The racket came to light after a victim reported that his SUV 700, taken on rent, had mysteriously surfaced in Arunachal Pradesh. Acting swiftly on the tip-off, Jonai Officer-in-Charge Dipendra Chetri tracked the vehicle and traced it to Nari, near the Assam-Arunachal inter-State border.
According to police, Das posed as a cluster head of HSBC Bank, convincing vehicle owners to rent out their cars on the pretext that they would be used for newly opening bank branches across Assam. “Most of the vehicles were brand new,” Chetri said.
Following the initial recovery, victims from Guwahati, Udalguri, and other parts of Assam began approaching Jonai police with similar complaints. With assistance from Hatigaon police and Pasighat police, teams managed to recover 15 vehicles from various locations across Arunachal Pradesh, some after hours of cat and mouse games with the racketeers.
“Most of the vehicles had tracker systems, which helped us trace them. One vehicle was recovered based on source information. We are still on the lookout for four more,” the OC added.
Investigators revealed that the vehicles were sold in Arunachal Pradesh at throwaway prices, with buyers being falsely told that the cars had been seized by banks due to loan defaults. Purchasers were assured that documents would be handed over later – documents that never existed.
While the many victims – the original car owners – continued receiving rent for some time, the scale of the fraud only became apparent once vehicles began vanishing without a trace.
Adding a startling twist to the case, Das’s wife had filed a missing complaint at Hatigaon police station on December 26, claiming her husband had disappeared. He was eventually apprehended by Hatigaon police two days back, bringing the elaborate scam to an abrupt end.
Police believe further recoveries and arrests may follow as the investigation continues.
By
Staff Reporter