Member of auto-lifters gang held

A member of an auto-lifters gang that used sophisticated technology to steal particular makes of a prominent car brand has been arrested, police said today.
"A police team that was working on cases of vehicle theft under a special drive arrested the accused Sagir, 33, from Sambhal in UP," AK Singla, DCP (north east) said.
"The gang including Sagir, and yet to be arrested members Safar and Zaidi used to roam about in the areas of east, north-east and outer Delhi's Rohini in search of cars parked away from residential areas," the officer said.
After forcefully opening the cars of their choice in secluded areas with the help of a drill machine, they would remove the caps of the steering lock.

Safar would use a laptop and a master key prepared through verifying the key data of the car, to start and move away the car. He knew technical specifications of the keys of the cars as he worked in a prominent car marker's workshop, the officer said.
The stolen cars were parked near Dilshad Garden area and later taken to be sold to receivers in Sambhal.
The accused would get upto Rs 1.20 lakh for a new car and lesser amount for older ones. Sagir was believed to have stolen around 200 cars as he was active since 2009, he said.

Further investigation is underway and efforts are being made to arrest the other accused, he added.