3 held for stealing cars in Delhi

Three men have been arrested from the Punjabi Bagh area here for allegedly stealing vehicles with the help of hi-tech gadgets and selling them in Assam, police said Thursday.

The accused were identified as Deepak (26), Ankit (28), residents of Narnaund in Haryana and Rinku (27), a resident of Gohana in the same state, they added.

Police received information that a stolen Fortuner car was parked in Uttam Nagar which was going to be transported to receivers in Assam, a senior police officer said, adding that a trap was laid based on the tip-off.

"After about 15 hours, a private cab stopped near the car under surveillance. A person, identified as Deepak, got down from it and when he opened the door of the car, officers arrested him," Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Monika Bhardwaj said.

While the cab driver tried to speed away, the police chased and nabbed him. The driver turned out be an associate of Deepak. Later, their third associate was also arrested, Bhardwaj said.

During interrogation, the accused said they learnt about mechanical and electrical functioning of cars at a workshop in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, police said.

They said with the help of laptop and other gadgets, they can remotely hack and jam the in-built electric security system/siren of the vehicle while sitting in another vehicle parked within a radius of 20 meters, Bhardwaj said.

"The arrested can open the door lock, manufacture the new magnetic key within 60 to 90 seconds only," the DCP said.

They have stolen more than 25 SUV vehicles from West, Outer and North-West Delhi areas, officials said. After stealing the vehicles, they used to transport them to Assam.

Two Fortuners, one Ola cab, two laptops and sophisticated equipment used in stealing the vehicles were recovered from their possession, police said.