The north-division police arrested a three member-gang which stole four-wheelers and sold them by manipulating the chassis and engine numbers of vehicles involved in accidents.
The arrested have been identified as Dileep (38) and Shaji Keshavan (47), both from Kerala, and Ali Ahemmed (39) from Mangaluru who bought the stolen vehicles from the duo. Police recovered nine four-wheelers, including SUVs worth Rs 40 lakh.
N Shashikumar, DCP (north), said that Ali ran a garage in Surathkal. He used to buy vehicles damaged in accidents. He would then ask Dileep and Shaji to steal similar models using duplicate keys. Ali would tamper with the vehicles before selling them for a higher price.
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