New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) The Delhi Police has busted a gang of thieves with the arrest of two men who allegedly stole engine control modules (ECMs) from parked vehicles in north Delhi’s Burari, an official said on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as Mehnoor (33), a resident of Brahmpuri, and Adil alias Shahrukh (35), a resident of Welcome, are repeat offenders, the official said.
Their modus operandi involved targeting parked vehicles during odd hours, breaking window panes or using tools to open the bonnet, and then removing the ECMs with the help of a gas cutter, police said.
The accused’s associate, identified as Naeem, is absconding, they said.
A case was lodged on September 18 after a Burari resident approached police alleging that an ECM was stolen from his water tanker parked near his home. Several similar thefts had been reported in the area in recent weeks, police said.
CCTV footage from multiple locations was scanned for over 10 days, which helped identify a car suspected to have been used in the thefts.
Acting on a tip-off, the car was intercepted near Wazirabad around 2 am on October 19, and the two accused were arrested after a brief chase. Tools used in the thefts and the car used in the crime were seized from their possession, police said.
During interrogation, both confessed to their involvement in several ECM thefts in Burari, Timarpur, Wazirabad and Swaroop Nagar areas over the past six months. Based on their disclosure, police recovered eight stolen ECMs from Adil’s residence.
Police said the accused’s third associate, identified as Naeem, who allegedly disposed of the stolen items, is absconding. Efforts are on to trace him.
Mehnoor, a school dropout and taxi driver, was previously involved in a murder case registered at Mahendra Park police station, while Adil has 28 previous cases of burglary and theft against him across Delhi, the official said.
Six cases of ECM theft reported from Burari have been solved with their arrest, he added. PTI SSJ SSJ KVK KVK
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