BELAGAVI: In a major breakthrough, police in Belagavi have busted an inter-state vehicle theft gang that had been operating across Karnataka and Maharashtra, arresting several accused and recovering stolen vehicles worth nearly Rs 95.50 lakh. The operation was carried out by officers of the Marihal Police Station, who seized a total of 21 stolen vehicles during the investigation.
The arrests were made after police began investigating the theft of an Ashok Leyland mini goods truck that had been parked outside a house in Neelaji village, under the jurisdiction of the Marihal police station. The vehicle was reported stolen in November 2025, prompting the police to launch a detailed investigation.
According to investigators, the gang was involved in a well-organised vehicle theft racket that spanned multiple districts and even crossed state borders. Based on CCTV footage and technical evidence, police traced the suspects and uncovered a network that had been systematically stealing both two-wheelers and four-wheelers from various locations.
Police said three key members of the gang, originally from Shivamogga, Bhadravati, and Sangli in Maharashtra, would travel to different cities at night to carry out the thefts. Their method involved first stealing two-wheelers from residential areas or public places. These stolen bikes and scooters were then used to travel to other locations where they targeted parked four-wheelers, particularly mini goods trucks.
Once the vehicles were stolen, they were handed over to other gang members, who would dispose of them through illegal resale channels. During interrogation, police discovered that the stolen vehicles were sold to receivers including Yusuf Khan and Zakir Hussain from Dharwad, Azad Ibrahim Mutavalli from Vijayapura, Shafeeq Ahmed from Vellore in Tamil Nadu, and Basirahamad Makanadar from Dandeli.
These individuals allegedly helped the gang by altering the chassis numbers of the stolen vehicles and reselling them to unsuspecting buyers. Police officials said the accused would modify identification details to avoid suspicion and make the vehicles appear legitimate.
During the operation, police seized eight Ashok Leyland mini goods trucks, five Royal Enfield motorcycles, five Suzuki Access scooters, two Hero Splendor bikes and one Honda Dio scooter. In total, 21 vehicles were recovered from the gang.
Investigators revealed that these vehicles were linked to theft cases reported in several locations, including Marihal, Tumakuru, Nelamangala, Yeshwanthpur, Arasikere, Davanagere and Bengaluru, as well as parts of Maharashtra such as Sangli and Shirol.
Belagavi City Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase said the case indicates the presence of a well-organised criminal network, and there is a possibility that the gang may have stolen more vehicles than those recovered so far. He also revealed that the accused were communicating through the Zangi messaging application to coordinate their activities.
One of the accused had previously worked for five years with Ashok Leyland, which helped the gang understand the technical details of mini goods trucks and made it easier for them to target those vehicles.
The operation was led by the CPI, I.R. Pattan Shetty, of Marihal Police Station, along with PSI Manjunath Hulakund, PSI Chandrashekhar, CCB PSI Manjunath Bhajantri, and other police personnel. Commissioner Borase praised the police team for their efforts and announced that the officers involved in the operation would receive cash incentives.
Police have stated that further investigations are ongoing and efforts are underway to trace additional suspects linked to the interstate vehicle theft network.
