The arrested thieves in front of Chandmari police station on Friday. Picture by UB Photos

Jan. 20: City police have busted a gang of car thieves, which has a fondness for Mahindra Boleros.

According to police, this inter-state gang of car-lifters is led by notorious car thief Raj Thakuria, 24, who used to sell Boleros stolen from the city, at places such as Nagaland and Manipur for Rs 2 lakh.

Senior superintendent of police (city) Apurba Jiban Baruah said Boleros have become the favourite pick of car thieves, since there is a great demand for SUVs in the neighbouring hill states.

With the arrest of eight gang members, the police claimed to have foiled their plans to steal a Bolero from near Government Press at Bamunimaidam on the night of January 18.

The SSP said Thakuria, the alleged kingpin of the gang, and his accomplice Nasir Khan, were apprehended by a team of city police from GS Road near Rajiv Bhawan on Wednesday evening.

Thakuria, who is a seasoned car-lifter and has been arrested several times in the past in connection with auto theft cases, hails from Kalaigaon in Darrang district, while Khan is from Lalmati in the Gandhibasti area of the city.

“Based on the confessions made by the duo, four other members of the gang were arrested from a rented house at Baghorbari on the same night. The accused persons were planning to steal a Bolero from near Government Press where they were apprehended,” Baruah said.

The arrested persons were identified as Md Amirul Hussain, 29, hailing from Bogoribari in Dhubri district, Taufiq Ali, 18, from Bijoynagar in Kamrup district, Gopal Hazarika, 24, from Maloali in Jorhat district and Md Ayub Ali, 31, from Betbari in Barpeta district.

According to the police, Hazarika is an expert in car break-ins.

“Taufiq Ali is a driver and Hussain is an auto driver. The gang members used to carry out a recce in Hussain’s autorickshaw before committing the crime,” Baruah said.

The interrogation of the arrested persons revealed that they would have handed over the Bolero they were planning to steal to a buyer in Shillong.

“A police team proceeded to Shillong and with the help of Meghalaya police apprehended two persons, including a woman, from Manipur, who had come to Shillong to purchase the stolen vehicle,” he said.

They were identified as Basanta Nagangom, 47, and Apamba Shimrey alias Apamba Thapa from Lamphel in Imphal East district of Manipur.

Based on the confessions of the accused persons, a Bolero, which was stolen from Jyotinagar on the night of January 17, has been recovered by the police.

The autorickshaw of Hussain, a Maruti Zen of Thakuria, tools used to break open car locks, seven mobile handsets and several fake numberplates were seized from the accused.

The operation was carried out under the supervision of Amitabh Sinha, additional superintendent of police (crime). A case (number 14/2012) has been registered against the accused at Chandmari police station under Section 379 IPC.

“Boleros have become the most sought-after cars for automobile thieves, as it is easy to find buyers for used Boleros in the neighbouring hill states and the cars fetch good prices too. It is also relatively easy to break open the locks of Boleros,” Sinha said.