In a major breakthrough, the South West Delhi Police’s Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) apprehended Mohammad Anas, alias Haji, a former candidate in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, as part of a large auto-theft operation. The gang, involved in stealing luxury cars, was busted after an intensive 15-day operation, leading to the recovery of five stolen high-end vehicles.
Anas, who contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections as a candidate for the Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) from Meerut’s Kithor seat, was found to be an active member of the gang. The group was involved in purchasing stolen vehicles in Delhi and reselling them at double the price to a key operator, Guddu, who coordinated the operations. Anas would then transport the vehicles to Meerut and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, where they were sold.
The Delhi Police recovered several luxury cars during the operation, including a Toyota Fortuner, a Swift Dzire, and three Maruti Brezza SUVs, all of which were stolen. The gang operated with a special mobile application to coordinate their activities and evade law enforcement. Anas was involved in selling the stolen vehicles in Uttar Pradesh and had been operating with the gang for several months.
Interestingly, Anas received 870 votes in the Kithore constituency, where the seat was eventually won by Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Kushal Pal Mavi. Despite his political involvement, Anas’ criminal activities linked to the auto-theft racket had remained hidden until the police operation exposed the extent of the gang’s operations.
The AATS team also uncovered other members of the group, including a notorious auto-lifter named Istiyak, who has a history of over 95 criminal cases, including theft, arms violations, and attempted murder. The recovered vehicles were stolen from various locations in Delhi, including Tilak Nagar, Vikaspuri, Punjabi Bagh, Saket, and even Ghaziabad.
Police are continuing to investigate the network and track down other associates involved in the racket. The authorities have also set up a specialized team across West Delhi’s police stations to focus on auto-theft cases and the recovery of stolen vehicles.
