CHANDIGARH: Buying a secondhand four-wheeler from the Sector-7 car bazaar? Be sure to have a word with the manufacturer about the vehicle and confirm its engine and chassis number before loosening your purse strings.
Police had recovered 42 stolen vehicles from a gang of auto thieves on Friday. It has turned out that 42 of the stolen vehicles had been sold from the Sector-7 car bazaar over the past two years and a half.
The 13 vehicles, which were sold to buyers from Punjab, Haryana and of Himachal Pradesh, included Innovas, Swifts and Scorpios.
In all these 13 vehicles, the chassis and engine numbers actually belonged to cars for which "total loss" insurance claims had been taken in nearby states.Police had also arrested car dealer Harinder Singh, alias Goldy, along with five others for selling these vehicles to unsuspecting people. Others held were identified as Kasim, Mohammed Nadeem, Mohammed Amir and scrap dealer Vipin Kumar.
In August, a team of Delhi police had also raided the Sector-7 car bazaar and recovered seven stolen vehicles. Those cars were stolen from the various parts of Delhi. The sellers had already found buyers for those when the bust occurred.
Inspector Ranjit Singh said, "They were using registration number of a car, which was involved in an accident in Phagwara in December 2010. With that, they sold an Innova. It was Vipin who tampered with the engine and chassis numbers."
Police officials said role of five other car dealers and their agents was also under the scanner following the recent recoveries.
The president of Car Bazaar Association, Sector 7, Rajesh Kumar Gupta, said, "Strict steps would be taken for curbing the sale of stolen vehicles here. There are some new car dealers involved in this for earning easy money." He added that since previous police raid, they had stopped the sale of vehicles bearing Delhi registration numbers.
Ask about the chassis and engine number of the secondhand vehicle from the manufacturer
Always examine the national crime record bureau report of the vehicle
If possible, before making final deal, confirm the registration number of the vehicle from concerned registration and licensing authority
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