Precious metals in catalytic converters drive massive silencer theft racket in Ahmedabad
Updated: Nov 19th, 2024
The Special Operations Group (SOG) of Ahmedabad Rural Police has dismantled a gang involved in stealing and reselling vehicle silencer units, recovering stolen goods worth ₹12.15 lakh. Five individuals have been arrested in connection with thefts that targeted catalytic converters for their valuable metal content.
Acting on specific intelligence, the SOG intercepted a car and a van near Balaji Hotel in Vasna. The suspects were found in possession of nine stolen Tata company silencers, five mobile phones, and two vehicles used in their operations.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Sanjay Bijalbhai Parmar (31) and Riyaz Pathan (25), both residents of Sanand, Mohammad Danish (18) from Viramgam, and brothers Sabbir Ashiq Ali and Kamil Ashiq Ali, also from Viramgam.
Police recovered items including silencers valued at ₹60,000, mobile phones worth ₹25,000, and vehicles worth ₹11 lakh.
Theft operation unveiled
According to officials, the accused committed theft late at night, primarily on weekends. Sanjay Parmar, a driver for Rao Travels, and Riyaz Pathan, an employee at Tata Motors, played key roles in the operation.
Exploiting their positions, they removed silencers from vehicles under the guise of routine maintenance. The stolen silencers were handed over to Sabbir and Kamil Ali, who transported them to Viramgam for resale.
The silencers, stolen from the Tata Motors manufacturing plant in Sanand, contained catalytic converters made from precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium.
These metals, known for their high market value, were extracted by the gang for resale.
“The accused would cut open the catalytic converters, remove the metal-coated substrates, and sell the extracted materials to a buyer in Viramgam,” said a senior police official.
Large-scale operation
Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang had stolen nearly 200 silencers over the past two months. Police suspect the actual scale of the thefts could be higher.
“A person involved in purchasing the stolen silencers is under investigation. Once apprehended, we will get a clearer picture of the gang’s operations and the total number of silencers stolen,” the official added.
Right now a case has been lodged with the Sanand GIDC Police station regarding the matter and further investigation is going on.
Also read :
