Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Vehicle theft: one arrested

. – Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

Prized catch: One of the stolen vehicles seized by the city police

Thiruvananthapuram: The city police have arrested a 33-year-old man suspected to be the kingpin of an inter-State vehicle theft gang. The police identified the suspect as Wilson Joseph, a resident of Kunnukuzhy. M. Muhammad Hussain, Sub Inspector, said the police recovered two trucks and a Toyota Qualis van on the basis of the suspect’s confession. He said Wilson’s arrest helped the police crack several unsolved vehicle theft cases in Kerala and Karnataka. The police also stumbled upon a Kollam Regional Transport Office (RTO)-based racket that supplies blank registration certificate (RC) books to inter-State vehicle thieves. The police are investigating certain RTO agents in Kollam in this connection. They are also looking for Wilson’s associates, including his Bangalore-based wife, Priya. Mr. Hussain said that Wilson and Priya operated at the behest of a Chennai-based buyer of stolen vehicles. Explaining the method of operation of the suspects, Mr. Hussain said the couple would check into a high end hotel in Kerala and demand a chauffeur driven vehicle. They would win the driver’s loyalty by giving him hefty tips, liquor and good rooms to stay during the tour. The couple often stole the vehicle after getting the driver drunk. They would deliver the vehicle to their handler in Chennai. He would then dismantle the vehicle quickly and sell it for its parts. Latest model vans, such as Chevrolet Tavera and Toyota Innova, are sold to unsuspecting clients by duplicating the RC book, insurance and tax related documents. The police said that Wilson’s luck ran out last week when he picked a fight with the manager of a wayside eatery near Vellayambalam. The manager reported the registration number of the van he was driving to the police. Mr. Hussain found the number to be fake. Days later, he arrested Wilson and confiscated the van. Priya absconded immediately after Wilson’s arrest. The couple were living in a rented house at Vattiyoorkavu. Wilson and his friends had posed as fish exporters in front of their neighbours. The police raided the gang’s safe house at suburban Kattakada and recovered the two trucks stolen from Hussoor on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. Assistant Commissioner Somanatha Pillai and Circle Inspector A. L. Najmulhassan headed the investigation.

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