New Delhi, October 28 — The Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of Delhi Police’s Shahdara district arrested a 23-year-old habitual auto-lifter allegedly involved in multiple two-wheeler theft and snatching cases, officials said on Wednesday.
The police also recovered four stolen vehicles and solved four motor vehicle theft cases across Shahdara, Central and South districts.
The accused, identified as Ritesh alias Piyush Tinku, a resident of Paharganj in Delhi, was apprehended on October 24 near a petrol pump on the Dilshad Garden-Ghaziabad DLF carriageway, within the jurisdiction of Vivek Vihar police station, following specific intelligence, according to the police.
At the time of his arrest, the accused was allegedly found in possession of a black motorcycle. Police verification revealed that the motorcycle had been reported stolen in an e-FIR registered at Patel Nagar police station in Central District on September 18.
The operation was launched after police received reports of recent two-wheeler thefts in Shahdara district. A dedicated AATS team was formed to identify and apprehend those involved in the offences. The team analysed CCTV footage, conducted field enquiries, developed local intelligence and deployed personnel in plain clothes to track suspected auto-lifters.
During interrogation, Ritesh allegedly disclosed his involvement in other vehicle theft cases.
Acting on the information provided by him, the police recovered three more stolen two-wheelers, taking the total recovery to four.
The recovered vehicles include a white scooter, a black motorcycle and a blue scooter, in addition to another motorcycle. Verification linked the vehicles to theft cases registered at Hauz Khas police station in South District and Vivek Vihar and Anand Vihar police stations in Shahdara District.
With these recoveries, the police said they had worked out four motor vehicle theft cases spanning three districts. All four cases were registered under Section 305(B) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the police, Ritesh is a Class IX dropout who lives with his family. Available records indicate that he has been apprehended by different police stations in Delhi since 2024 in connection with motor vehicle theft and snatching cases.
The accused was recently released from judicial custody on October 12 and allegedly resumed stealing two-wheelers thereafter, police said.
Police records show that he has previously been involved in 17 cases related to snatching and motor vehicle theft.
Further legal proceedings are underway.