The matter came to light when a Ghatkopar-based doctor approached the police, stating that his newly bought SUV was stolen, an official said
The police officials with the car and accused
The Ghatkopar Police in Mumbai have apprehended a gang of four individuals accused of stealing Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to smuggle alcohol from Rajasthan to Gujarat, the police said.
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The matter first surfaced on December 17 when a Ghatkopar-based doctor (51) approached the police, stating that his newly bought Hyundai Creta SUV, worth up to Rs 12 lakh, was stolen. The complainant had rented his vehicle to car rental company which is an India-based car-sharing platform, as a ‘host,’ where vehicles can be rented to others through the app in exchange for money, police said.
After completing the registration formalities, the victim handed over the car to a driver sent through the company on November 18. He was supposed to get it back after a two-day drive. However, there were no traces of his car or the driver, prompting the victim to approach the police.
A special team led by Assistant Police Inspector (API) Dnyaneshwar Kharmate, under the guidance of DCP Vijaykant Sagar, Zone 7, involving five more police personnel, began probing the matter.
Initial investigations revealed that the driver who picked up the car did not match the description of the driver allotted by the company, indicating the involvement of multiple individuals. The allotted driver was traced to a slum in Bhiwandi but evaded capture by frequently changing his location.
“He is identified as Mohammad Kamil Ravish Jaware. We tracked him from Bhiwandi to Goregaon based on his mobile movements and eventually managed to arrest him. Although he was involved in the crime, after picking up the car, he handed it over to another group of accused,” explained API Kharmate.
This group comprised two individuals—Rohit Anthony and Babu—residents of Mira Bhayander, who are still at large.
During interrogation, Jaware revealed that his only knowledge about the car is that it was sent to Barmer, a city in Rajasthan.
The police then began tracking the SUV using its Fastag records at toll nakas along highways leading to Rajasthan.
“The Fastag location was captured up to a certain toll naka, after which it stopped. The accused had replaced the Fastag with a new one. We then relied on CCTV footage from the toll naka, which led us to Rajasthan,” added Kharmate.
The new Fastag provided the identity of Shravan Kumar, who was captured in one of the toll naka’s CCTV cameras, and was arrested by local police under instructions from Kharmate’s team. Kumar revealed during interrogation that the car was handed over to Sanjay Jain and Ashok Vishnoi, the masterminds behind the scheme of stealing rental cars for smuggling alcohol. They were both apprehended and taken into custody when they revealed their modus operandi.
“Along with the Creta, another SUV, a Maruti Suzuki Brezza, was also used. The back seats of both vehicles were removed, and the space was used to load cartons of alcohol from Rajasthan, mostly Udaipur, which were then transported to Gujarat,” concluded Kharmate.
Gujarat, being a dry state that prohibits the consumption, storage, sale, and manufacture of alcohol, posed a lucrative market for the gang. They used high-end SUVs to avoid suspicion during nakabandis or toll checks, police officials explained.
Digital records of Jain and Vishnoi revealed they had stolen at least 25 SUVs from across the country using fraudulent means to smuggle alcohol from Rajasthan to Gujarat. Further probe is underway.
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