Delhi police have broken a high-tech inter-state auto theft network, which was active in northern states and have arrested ten of its major members and recovered 31 stolen luxury cars. The syndicate was engaging in the theft of luxury vehicles, change of identity, and selling them with falsified documents.
The case was initially investigated by an e-FIR filed in August 2025 at the Maurya Enclave police station when the victim, a Pitampura resident, filed a complaint about the theft of her SUV. The case was subsequently referred to the Crime Branch which revealed a bigger network in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
Authorities disclosed that the gang did not just steal cars but also obtained cars in default of loans. The chassis and engine numbers were then compromised to give these vehicles new identities. The accused supposedly used counterfeit sale certificates, forged registration documents, and forged bank No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to re-plate the vehicles and dispose of them to unsuspecting customers.
This came after a different case was filed earlier this year to investigate the broader conspiracy, resulting in co-ordinated raids in multiple states. Some of the people who are arrested include the alleged kingpin, Damandeep Singh alias Lucky who is a second-hand car dealership in Jalandhar and is said to have run the entire network.
Others who were accused are a software engineer turned agent, a government clerk, talented mechanics and middlemen to facilitate transportation and sales. Police reported that more investigations are underway to establish more links and buyers of the racket.