20 years, 43 cases: Police arrest cab owner who stole cars for spare parts
The Nagpada-resident had been stealing cars, removing spare parts and selling the remains to scrap dealers since the last two decades (Representational Image, Courtesy: Barrons.com)
The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police has arrested a 65-year-old man who has been stealing cars for spare parts and scrapping the remains for nearly two decades.
According to reports, the accused, Mohammad Kamil Noor Mohammad Ansari, has been in the taxi business for the last four decades. He owns four cabs, which he rents out to drivers.
However, the Nagpada resident has reportedly never spent any money on buying spare parts for his cabs. Instead, he has been stealing cars of similar makes and salvaging spare parts since the last two decades.
“If any parts were damaged or needed repair in Ansari’s taxis, he never bought new ones. He stole private cars parked outside buildings or in parking areas using a master key. He took the stolen vehicle to an isolated place where he removed the parts he needed,” Dheeraj Koli, police inspector of the property cell, told The Hindustan Times.
After removing the required parts, he would sell the stolen cars off to scrap dealers.
Last month, a car owner filed a complaint after his vehicle was stolen from Matunga. While probing the case, cops suspected Ansari’s involvement and started looking out for him.
The accused was apprehended in Byculla and the four-wheeler was recovered from his second residence in Dindoshi. Ansari had not sent the car to the scrap dealer till then as he still had to remove its tyres and sell them off.
Ansari was handed over to Matunga police station last Friday. During the investigation, police found 43 cases registered against him, mostly in Nagpada and other suburban police stations
