Mumbai: 26-year-old held with stolen auto rickshaw in Juhu, cops recover three vehicles

The accused in police custody on Tuesday

A 29-year-old professional mechanic has been arrested by Juhu police in Mumbai for allegedly stealing several autos from the city and using them to generate income. The Juhu police have also recovered three stolen auto-rickshaws from the accused.

In his modus operandi, the accused would steal an auto and ride it until the CNG fuel ran out, generating income from fare-paying passengers. After the CNG fuel was depleted, the accused would hide the auto in various locations, dismantle it, and sell the auto parts. Police sources have stated that the accused has stolen many autos from the city over the past 3-4 months.

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The accused, identified as Devraj Debendra (29) from Nehru Nagar in Juhu, was traced by the police with the help of over 30-40 CCTV cameras in the area following the theft of an auto-rickshaw on Monday night in Juhu. The accused confessed to the police that he used to earn over 1,000 rupees per stolen auto through riding fares.

Police sources stated, "The accused previously worked in an auto garage in Nehru Nagar but was fired from his job. He possesses the knowledge of starting an auto without keys by joining the vehicle wires."

On Monday, an auto was stolen from DCD Road in Vile Parle East at 9 pm, and the auto driver reported the incident to the police.

Under the guidance of Senior Inspector AjitKumar Vartak, a team comprising PI Sanjay Pawar, Investigating Officer API Vijay Dhotre, Constables Aatish Patil, Amit Mahangade, Nitin Mandekar, Suhash Bhosale, Husen Tadvi, Prakash Tasgaonkar, Salunkhe, Bankar, and Kolekar was formed to apprehend the accused.

The team checked more than 30-40 CCTV cameras and located the accused riding a stolen auto with a passenger in the Juhu area. The Juhu police also recovered three stolen autos from the accused.