Guwahati: Dispur police has busted an interstate vehicle racket and recovered 11 luxury vehicles from Arunachal Pradesh on Monday night, officials said. Police said the operation was carried out at multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh based on technical inputs.One person, identified as Rupjyoti Das, a native of Kamalpur in Assam’s Kamrup district has been arrested. He was temporarily residing in Hatigaon, police said.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) (East) Anurag Sarmah told the media, “Das has duped multiple people in the city by taking their cars in the name of a rental agency and selling them outside Assam. Several cases have been registered against him at different police stations. Earlier, the Basistha and Hatigaon police stations had recovered 17 other vehicles. The newly recovered vehicles were seized from remote areas of Arunachal Pradesh following the instructions of the commissioner of police.”Sarmah said the investigation is ongoing and police are working to identify and arrest others linked to the racket. “So far, we have recovered over 30 vehicles in connection with the cases registered in the East Police district,” the ADCP said, adding that more recoveries are expected.Police said Das allegedly changed his identity multiple times while operating the racket, at times introducing himself as a private bank manager and claiming he was acquiring vehicles for official company use. Investigators allege he instead sold the vehicles outside Assam at prices far below market value.“We suspect that Das might have carried this in other districts of the state, although there is no concrete figure. We are assuming the total number of cars stolen would be more than 80,” Sarmah added.Police alleged that some vehicles were sold using fraudulent number plates, claiming the inter-state registration process through the DTO office was complicated and could have exposed the vehicles as stolen.A case has been registered against Das under Sections 316(2) and 318(4) of the BNS Act at Dispur Police Station. Police also said cases have been registered against him at various police stations in Arunachal Pradesh.
