Arunachal: Itanagar Police Crack Rs 30 Crore Inter-State Luxury Car Theft Racket
57 High-End Vehicles Recovered in Arunachal Pradesh; 5 Arrested So Far. Buyers beware: Verify every detail before purchasing second-hand vehicles!
ITANAGAR- In a landmark operation, the Itanagar Capital Police have uncovered a massive inter-state luxury car theft racket, leading to the recovery of 57 high-end vehicles worth over ₹30 crore. The racket, involving forged documents, tampered engine numbers, and links across several states, has brought national attention to Arunachal Pradesh’s law enforcement efforts.
The breakthrough came after the Itanagar Police received intelligence in early July about unusually high numbers of luxury vehicles—like Toyota Fortuners, Hyundai Cretas, Mahindra Scorpios, Kia Seltos, and even some sedans and premium SUVs—being sold through questionable means in the capital region.
A suo-motu FIR was filed on July 2, 2025, under various sections of the IPC and the Motor Vehicles Act. Under the leadership of Superintendent of Police (SP) Jummar Basar, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to probe the leads.
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Investigators discovered that the vehicles had been stolen from metropolitan areas like Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Maharashtra. Once stolen, they were dispatched to Arunachal Pradesh, where the gang used forged registration papers, altered chassis and engine numbers, and false insurance certificates to sell them as second-hand vehicles to unsuspecting buyers.
The gang took advantage of loopholes in interstate transport and vehicle re-registration, making it hard to trace the original ownership. Some vehicles were even found with duplicate or cloned number plates matching legal registrations from different states.
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So far, five suspects have been arrested, including middlemen and vehicle dealers who allegedly served as key conduits in the network. The recovered 57 vehicles were traced to theft FIRs registered across multiple states.
Among the seizures were, Toyota Fortuner- 09 Nos, Hyundai Creta- 27 Nos, Kia Seltos- 05 Nos, Maruti Brezza- 02 Nos, Kia Sonet- 02 Nos, Tata Safari- 02 Nos, Tata Harrier- 01 No., Mahindra- Thar 02 Nos, Mahindra- Scorpio 01 No., Toyota Innova- 01 No., Audi- 01 No., Ford Endeavour- 01 No., Hyundai Venue- 01 No., Maruti Baleno- 01 No.
The police suspect that several more vehicles may have been smuggled using similar tactics and are continuing to cross-check VAHAN and NCRB databases.
SP Jummar Basar issued a public advisory warning people—especially those purchasing vehicles from non-authorized dealers or online platforms—to be extremely cautious.
“Before buying any second-hand vehicle, verify the registration, engine and chassis number on the VAHAN portal or consult the local RTO. If the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is,” said SP Basar.
He also stressed that legal consequences may arise for those in possession of stolen vehicles, even if purchased unknowingly.
Initial investigations hint at the involvement of a broader criminal network operating in at least five states, with possible links to organized crime groups that finance and facilitate vehicle theft rings. The Itanagar Police have initiated coordination with Delhi Police, Haryana Crime Branch, and other state agencies to track the origins and movement of these vehicles.
Investigators are also probing whether any government or transport officials were complicit, especially in cases where forged documents were processed through regional RTOs.
The SIT is now focused on:
- Identifying buyers of other suspected vehicles.
- Freezing assets of the accused.
- Collaborating with central agencies for forensic verification.
- Cracking down on fake document rackets in vehicle registration.
With more arrests and recoveries expected, this bust has become one of the biggest crackdowns on vehicle crime in Northeast India in recent years.
