The Ahmedabad Zone-5 Local Crime Branch (LCB) has made significant progress by uncovering a theft racket tied to the disappearance of 31 two-wheelers from a Honda warehouse located in the Nava Naroda area. The investigation revealed that individuals employed at the facility were allegedly involved in the orchestrated crime. Following the inquiry, two men and a minor were reportedly arrested, and police successfully recovered 26 stolen Honda Activa scooters valued at Rs 23.25 lakh.

The case initiated when Dharampal Chauhan, the warehouse manager at a Honda showroom in Nikol, lodged a complaint. He discovered during a stock audit that 30 Activas and one motorcycle had vanished over the past four months. The Honda warehouse, situated behind Shelby Hospital, generally houses more than 1,000 vehicles, making large-scale theft harder to detect.

Modus Operandi of the Accused

According to police investigations, the primary suspect, Shahid Sheikh, an employee at the Honda warehouse, devised an uncomplicated yet effective strategy to facilitate the thefts. Whenever a showroom placed an order, Shahid would dispatch one additional Activa beyond the recorded count of vehicles. He would transfer this extra scooter to his accomplice, Digu Singh, before the delivery was completed.

Digu Singh, who worked at a nearby TVS showroom, would then sell the stolen scooters in rural regions at significantly lower prices to evade detection. The accused reportedly sold the Activas for approximately Rs 30,000 each, justifying their actions by claiming that the vehicles were company-damaged. In an effort to build buyer trust, they provided plausible explanations for missing registration documents while insisting on cash-only transactions.

The financial gain from these sales was considerable; Shahid allegedly earned between Rs 18,000 and Rs 25,000 for each vehicle sold, while Digu Singh made about Rs 5,000 per transaction. The substantial inventory maintained at the warehouse enabled the theft to continue undetected for months, as the discrepancies went unnoticed initially.

Ongoing Investigations and Future Directions

Following the complaint lodged by Chauhan, police conducted a thorough investigation that led to the identification and apprehension of the suspects. They managed to recover 26 out of the 31 stolen vehicles. However, efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining scooters and trace their potential buyers.

Authorities have indicated that further investigations are currently being conducted to assess if there were additional individuals involved in the theft racket. The police are exploring all possible leads to ensure that any other parties implicated in the crime are brought to justice.

This incident highlights the vulnerabilities that exist within large-scale vehicle storage and distribution networks, prompting discussions on improving security measures at such facilities. The ongoing case serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by law enforcement in combating organized theft operations.

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