Gang of vehicle battery thieves busted, 10 held

Noida: The Gautam Buddh Nagar police has arrested ten persons, allegedly involved in stealing batteries from the vehicles parked along the Eastern Peripheral Highway near Noida. The arrested accused also included three scrap dealers who used to buy the stolen batteries and sell them cheap, the police said on Tuesday.

"As many as 22 batteries besides three firearms, knives, and over six kg of cannabis were also seized from them," Noida (Rural) Superintendent of Police Aashish Shrivastava told reporters. Three cars, including a premium sedan and two SUVs, were also impounded from them, he said. The police made the arrests while working on a complaint received on Sunday, he said.

Seven gang members were arrested late last night from a traffic intersection where GT Road hit the highway under Dadri police station area, said the SP, adding that they were arrested when planning to strike their target. Explaining the gang's modus operandi, Shrivastava said the gang would target trucks parked along the Eastern Peripheral Highway at nights with their drivers fast asleep.

After stealing the batteries, they would sell them in the scrap market, the officials said, adding that once sold to the scrap dealers, these batteries would enter market chain at cheap rates. Despite basically being thieves, these gangsters would even rob the truckers by overpowering them in case any of them raised an alarm, he said.

Those arrested were identified as gang kingpin Jai Kishan, Shamshuddin, Lokesh, Veer Pal, Kapil, Kunwar Kesh, Babloo, Nazeer and Islamuddin. Most of them belonged to Khurja in Bulandshahr, while others were from Ghaziabad, the police said, adding that some of the gang members were absconding.

The ten arrested accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act and the Narcotics and Drugs Prevention Act, the police said.

Expressing concern over "inadequate security on the Eastern Peripheral Highway," Shrivastava, however, said the police were trying to step up vigil in the region.