PRAYAGRAJ: Ever heard of an auto lifter who believes in following a proper dress code for committing thefts? Well, cops in Prayagraj came across one when they busted an inter-district gang of auto lifters and arrested its six members, including the kingpin, on Sunday.
Police also seized 24 stolen bikes worth Rs 20 lakh from the gang.
The kingpin Vivek Kumar Pal, 22, a resident of Manda, always planned thefts with perfection and wore casuals while lifting a bike from a market and donned white shirt and black trousers while picking up a vehicle from court premises, said police officials.
During questioning, Pal claimed he started auto lifting to fulfil the demands of his girlfriend.
Deputy SP (Colonelganj) Ajeet Singh Chauhan told TOI, “The gang leader Vivek Kumar Pal believed in having the perfect look for executing a crime so that the possibility of arousing suspicion is minimal.”
He used to wear suitable casuals for picking up a bike from outside a market, coaching institute, hospital, or office and donned white shirt and black trousers for theft in court premises, all to avoid suspicion, the Deputy SP added.
“Pal has been arrested for the second time for auto lifting. He was earlier arrested in 2021 from Naini on the same charges,” he added.
Pal claimed that he started auto lifting in 2020 during the pandemic and used to steal bikes and other two-wheelers from Kydganj, Civil Lines and Colonelganj and sold them in trans-Ganga and -Yamuna pockets with forged documents.
He also told police officials that his girlfriend was very demanding, and he took to crime to fulfil her wishes.
“Pal is a graduate and has done B.Sc). He in fact recruited auto lifters senior to him in his gang after finding that they have better ideas for selling stolen vehicles,” the DSP added.
The other arrested gang members were identified as Indra Bahadur Pal, Vijay Kumar Bind, both of Meja, Arjun Singh of Koraon, Manish Kumar of Naini and Dharmendra Kumar of Manda.
