Mon Police personnel along with recovered two-wheelers outside the Office of the Superintendent of Police, Mon. (Photo Courtesy: Mon Police)
• Unravels stolen bikes network
• Operation on to recover more
Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 31
The Mon police announced it has unravelled a trans-border stolen vehicles network. In an operation said to have been conducted over the last three weeks, the Anti-Vehicle Theft Squad (AVTS) of the district police recovered thirty 2-wheelers from within Mon town.
A press release described it “as one of Mon Police’s notable proactive operations” uncovering “an expansive inter-state network involved in the theft, transportation and disposal of stolen vehicles, particularly two-wheelers.”
According to the release, it began as a routine verification of documents that culminated in “a major inter-state breakthrough.” More than 50 vehicles were initially identified which ownership and documents were found to be doubtful. As the investigation progressed, more than 30 of these vehicles were found to have been reported stolen from Jorhat, Tinsukia, Charaideo and Sivasagar in Assam, and Longding in Arunachal Pradesh. It added that the recovered vehicles were subsequently returned to their “rightful owners/concerned Police authorities as per due legal procedure.” Some of the cases had reportedly remained undetected for four to five.
The investigation further revealed that vehicles stolen in Assam were smuggled into Nagaland and sold off at comparatively low prices reportedly to “unsuspecting and gullible” villagers as second-hand cars. In some instances, buyers were provided with “random or unrelated identity documents in the name of ownership.” There were also instances when the lure of low prices led buyers to purchase the stolen vehicles without verifying ownership documents.
It added that the investigation pointed to the involvement of “Nagaland-based middlemen” facilitating the disposal of stolen vehicles. While stating that effort was on to identify and apprehend the intermediaries, it said that intelligence regarding the suspected Assam-based vehicle thieves have been shared with their counterparts.
A Mon police official further disclosed that the operation will continue. “We are on the lookout for more. The operation will continue,” said the official. As many as twenty more vehicles, including an unspecified number of 4-wheelers, were in police custody pending ownership verification.
Public advisory
In light of the unravelling, the Mon police called for exercising extreme caution when purchasing second-hand motorcycles and other vehicles. It said, “A low price should not become a reason to overlook proper documentation. Buyers are advised to verify the registration particulars, ownership documents, chassis and engine numbers, and theft status of a vehicle through the appropriate official channels before completing any purchase.”
