In a major breakthrough, Darrang police arrested notorious interstate car thief Anil Chauhan, involved in more than 5,000 car theft cases nationwide. The arrest took place on June 23 around 5 PM at Rangiya railway station, as he was preparing to leave Assam with his wife.
During the operation, police also arrested his third wife, Geeta Singh Chauhan, after recovering stolen articles from her bag. The arrest was carried out on a tip-off under the supervision of SP Prakash Sonowal and ASP (Crime) Rosy Talukdar, with assistance from Government Railway Police staff. Notably, Chauhan’s Aadhaar card listed him as Anil Singh, son of Deshraj Singh from Ghaziabad. Police also recovered a Bhagawat Geeta from him.
Anil Chauhan has a long criminal record, including auto theft, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, rhino poaching, and Arms Act violations. He had been declared a proclaimed offender in multiple cases. The Enforcement Directorate had previously raided his properties, seizing assets like his villa and luxury cars, which were later auctioned. He served five years in prison, being released in 2020.
Following the arrest, Darrang police, with Nagaland police cooperation, recovered a stolen dumper (AS13AC5128) from Kohima, which was taken from Burigaon under Dalgaon police station on June 14. Suraj Sing, Anil Chauhan’s brother-in-law from Balipara, Sonitpur, was also arrested in connection with the stolen vehicle.
In a related development, Kamrup police arrested Rafiqul Islam, an absconding accomplice of Anil Chauhan, in Palasbari area on June 25. Rafiqul had fled from Rangiya railway station at the time of Anil Chauhan’s arrest.
The police investigation is ongoing, with operations underway to apprehend other absconding accomplices linked to Chauhan’s criminal network.
