Thieves swap stolen sedan with old car

NEW DELHI: Media professional Ravinder Bawa was puzzled when she found a brand-new Honda City parked outside her Rajinder Nagar residence.
Her bewilderment soon turned into consternation when she realised that her own Wagon R was missing.
As it turned out, her car was stolen by a gang of robbers who have been active in the area for some time now. And, no, the Honda City was not a return gift.
Police said the thieves entered the gated colony in the sedan — stolen from a businessman in New Friends Colony — broke open the door of Bawa’s 10-year-old car and fled through the other gate.
They left the Honda City parked outside her residence with its doors open.
Police suspect the role of a gang of auto lifters involved in transporting illegal cash. The entire operation was carried out with such smoothness that CCTV footage from the colony failed to provide any clue. Initial investigations revealed that the robbers had tried to break open the doors of some other cars as well.
Police have formed several teams to look for the Wagon R.
All that robbers needed was a window of three hours to dispose of a stolen vehicle, police sources told TOI. The modus operandi is simple: late into the night, the thieves cross over into Haryana or UP from where they take the vehicle to a salvage yard. There, it’s dismantled in no time. The parts were then sold off in as far as Nepal as also Bihar and West Bengal, sources said.