Suspected leader of gang of car thieves held

A suspected kingpin of a gang allegedly involved in stealing cars across cities was arrested today from suburban Jogeshwari, police said.
Ayub Ali Masum Ali Shaikh, a history-sheeter, was picked up from his house in Vaishali Nagar here by sleuths of the Anti-Motor Vehicle Theft unit of crime branch.
He had been declared as an absconder in at least two different cases by a local court.
Police recovered eight cars, collectively worth around Rs 51 lakh, from various places in the city on the basis of information given by the accused.
Besides, several duplicate keys and various tools used for breaking open locks of high-end cars were seized from the possession of Shaikh, they said.

Shaikh and his gang were allegedly involved in stealing cars in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune, police added.