Family-backed: Man using wife, son as decoys for car-lifting held
Capital police arrest suspect involved in stealing 24 cars, 15 motorcycles.
They have allegedly stolen 24 vehicles from different areas of Islamabad since January. STOCK IMAGE
ISLAMABAD:
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Islamabad Police claimed to have arrested a car-lifter who would steal vehicles from different areas of the federal capital before selling them in Punjab.
Sources in the SIU said that the suspect, Kamran alias Katia, was arrested from his house on Lehtrar Road near Khanna Pul on Thursday based on evidence provided by another arrested car-lifter, who was arrested by the Margalla police a few days back.
SIU sources said the suspect would roam in different markets and parking areas with his wife and son to keep a watch on parked cars, especially Suzuki Mehrans, before making away with them with his wife and son seated beside him in the stolen car.
The suspect and his wife, who have allegedly stolen 24 vehicles from different areas of Islamabad since January, would load every stolen car with groceries and other things to avoid detection by the police as they headed to Fateh Jang or Kohat interchanges to sell the stolen Mehran cars to ‘clients, mostly from Punjab, at prices between Rs30,000 and Rs50,000.
The couple, both from Faisalabad, moved to the federal capital after Kamran, obtained bail from a court in Faisalabad on a previous carjacking charge.
The sources said that his wife and son were not present when the police conducted the raid.
“They have stolen at least 24 cars and 15 motorcycles from the jurisdictions of Aabpara, Kohsar, Margalla and Shalimar police stations,” the sources said while quoting his written confession.
According to the sources, the suspect also confessed to have stolen several cars and motorcycles during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek sit-ins outside parliament, taking advantage of the low police deployment in other areas of the city.
According to the sources, Kamran used to work at a shoe factory in Faisalabad before he met Muhammad Javed, a motorcycle thief. Later, both started stealing motorcycle in Faisalabad and had been arrested at least twice in the textile hub.
SIU SP Muhammad Ilyas confirmed that the suspect was arrested during a raid. He, however, said that none of the stolen vehicles have been recovered yet. “We are trying to track down the persons to whom the suspect sold the vehicles,” he said.
“We will be able to recover the stolen vehicles after getting more information from the suspect.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 15th, 2015.
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Islamabad Police claimed to have arrested a car-lifter who would steal vehicles from different areas of the federal capital before selling them in Punjab.
Sources in the SIU said that the suspect, Kamran alias Katia, was arrested from his house on Lehtrar Road near Khanna Pul on Thursday based on evidence provided by another arrested car-lifter, who was arrested by the Margalla police a few days back.
SIU sources said the suspect would roam in different markets and parking areas with his wife and son to keep a watch on parked cars, especially Suzuki Mehrans, before making away with them with his wife and son seated beside him in the stolen car.
The suspect and his wife, who have allegedly stolen 24 vehicles from different areas of Islamabad since January, would load every stolen car with groceries and other things to avoid detection by the police as they headed to Fateh Jang or Kohat interchanges to sell the stolen Mehran cars to ‘clients, mostly from Punjab, at prices between Rs30,000 and Rs50,000.
The couple, both from Faisalabad, moved to the federal capital after Kamran, obtained bail from a court in Faisalabad on a previous carjacking charge.
The sources said that his wife and son were not present when the police conducted the raid.
“They have stolen at least 24 cars and 15 motorcycles from the jurisdictions of Aabpara, Kohsar, Margalla and Shalimar police stations,” the sources said while quoting his written confession.
According to the sources, the suspect also confessed to have stolen several cars and motorcycles during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek sit-ins outside parliament, taking advantage of the low police deployment in other areas of the city.
According to the sources, Kamran used to work at a shoe factory in Faisalabad before he met Muhammad Javed, a motorcycle thief. Later, both started stealing motorcycle in Faisalabad and had been arrested at least twice in the textile hub.
SIU SP Muhammad Ilyas confirmed that the suspect was arrested during a raid. He, however, said that none of the stolen vehicles have been recovered yet. “We are trying to track down the persons to whom the suspect sold the vehicles,” he said.
“We will be able to recover the stolen vehicles after getting more information from the suspect.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 15th, 2015.