Pune Rural Police Arrest Serial Car Thief; Cars Stolen from Maharashtra Taken to Tamil Nadu for Spare Parts Sale
Pune:
Pune Rural Police have arrested a notorious car thief involved in a large-scale operation of stealing vehicles and dismantling them for selling them in Tamil Nadu. The accused, Nadeem Dawood Sheikh (age 32), a resident of Dhad, Taluka, and District Buldhana, currently living in Kumbephal, Jalna Road, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, was caught by police with two stolen cars in his possession.
Nadeem has a history of vehicle theft, with 11 cases registered against him across Ahmednagar, Pune Rural, Jalgaon, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Jalna, and Buldhana districts. Last year, local authorities seized four cars linked to Nadeem from Tamil Nadu.
The investigation began when a white Maruti Suzuki Ertiga was stolen from Shirur. The car’s owner, Yogesh Ananda Gund, lodged a complaint on August 26. The Pune Rural Police’s Local Crime Branch started their investigation and traced the car’s movement via CCTV footage. It was found heading towards Ahmednagar, raising suspicion about Nadeem’s involvement due to his criminal history.
With a tip-off, police learnt that Nadeem had recently stolen a car from Shirur and had come to Deulgaon Raja. Officers swiftly acted and arrested Nadeem from Deulgaon Raja, where he confessed to stealing two cars—one from Shirur and another from Sangamner. Police recovered the stolen vehicles, valued at Rs 11.4 lakh, from him.
Nadeem also revealed that he operated with accomplices, Vishal Jadhav and Kishor Pawar, to steal these cars. Together, they would steal vehicles and take them to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where the cars were dismantled, and the parts sold in local markets.
The modus operandi involved using a duplicate key and an OBD Star electronic machine, which Nadeem sourced from Punjab’s old markets. The year of the car model would be checked, and the car’s door opened using a wire or strap. The OBD Star machine was then connected to the car’s system, allowing Nadeem to activate the duplicate key and start the vehicle. The car was then transported to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for dismantling and for selling the spare parts.
Police have confiscated various tools from Nadeem, including the OBD Star machine, duplicate keys, a drill, and screwdrivers.
This action was taken by the team of Local Crime Branch Police Inspector Avinash Shilimkar, Police Sub Inspector of Shirur Police Station Eknath Patil, Police Ammaldar Tushar Pandare, Janardhan Shelke, Sanju Jadhav, Raju Momin, Atul Dere, Mangesh Thigale, Sagar Dhumal, Shirur Police Station Ammaldar Nathasaheb Jagtap, Vijay Shinde, Nitesh Thorat, and Yogesh Gund under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh, Additional Superintendent of Police Ramesh Chopde, and Sub Divisional Police Officer Prashant Dhole.
