Three inter-state vehicle thieves were arrested in West Delhi after a stolen SUV, fitted with a fake number plate, attempted to run over police personnel, injuring two officers, officials said on Friday.
Ground surveillance revealed that the Kia Seltos SUV had been used in multiple high-end vehicle thefts across the city. The SUV, bearing a duplicated number plate to evade detection, was repeatedly seen near the Vivek Vihar ITI underpass around 11 pm over several days.
Acting on credible intelligence, police laid a trap on the night of January 15-16. When officers signaled the SUV to stop, the accused allegedly drove straight at the personnel. Head constable Devender and constable Manish were hit and thrown toward the footpath, sustaining injuries. The SUV also rammed into public vehicles during the escape attempt.
Despite the danger, police overpowered all three suspects after a brief struggle. The accused were identified as:
Mashrur (56) – Uttar Pradesh
Asif (42) – Uttar Pradesh
Aqeel (40) – Uttar Pradesh
The injured officers were taken to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, and medico-legal certificates were prepared. The stolen SUV was traced back to Mukherjee Nagar, stolen on September 2 of the previous year. The vehicle had been used for reconnaissance and thefts in Delhi.
Police said Mashrur had 17 previous cases, Aqeel 27 cases, and Asif 2 prior cases. A case has been registered at Vivek Vihar police station, and authorities are investigating the gang’s wider criminal network across Delhi and neighboring states.
