Serial vehicle thief nabbed with 32 stolen two-wheelers in Ahmedabad

The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has arrested a habitual vehicle thief and recovered 32 stolen two-wheelers from his possession, solving 10 pending vehicle theft cases reported across Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Kalol and Dahegam.

The accused, identified as Ambalal alias Babubhai alias Amrit Kalabhai Raval, a native of Himmatnagar, Sabarkantha district, lived in a rented house in Hirawadi, Krishnanagar, to facilitate his illegal activities. Police said he was a repeat offender with a long history of vehicle thefts.

According to officials, the Crime Branch had been directed by senior officers to focus on unsolved vehicle theft cases in the city. Acting on this, the team carried out a detailed analysis using CCTV footage, technical inputs and human intelligence, which eventually led them to Ambalal. He was caught while riding a stolen Honda Activa, following which 31 other stolen vehicles were recovered from different locations.

The seized vehicles include 20 Honda Activas, 10 motorcycles of various makes, and two Luna mopeds, collectively valued at ₹8.35 lakh.

During questioning, Ambalal admitted to stealing vehicles early in the morning — typically between 8 and 10 am — using duplicate keys. Over the past three months, he allegedly stole vehicles from Ahmedabad city, Kalol, Dahegam and Gandhinagar, later selling them to poor buyers in rural regions near Dakor and Himmatnagar, falsely claiming he would provide registration documents.

Police have so far linked him to 10 cases of vehicle theft registered at various police stations, including Naroda, Nikol, Krishnanagar, Kalol, Vatva GIDC, Gandhinagar Chiloda and Ramol.

Investigators also revealed that Ambalal has a criminal record spanning over 28 previous offences, including vehicle, bicycle and gas cylinder thefts, registered across Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar between 2008 and 2023. He has previously been arrested and lodged in Vadodara Jail but continued to engage in thefts upon release.

A senior Crime Branch official said, “The accused is a habitual offender who specifically targeted two-wheelers parked in residential and market areas. He used duplicate keys to avoid suspicion and later sold the stolen vehicles in rural markets at throwaway prices. Efforts are underway to trace buyers of the stolen vehicles and recover more property.”

Further investigation is in progress to determine if Ambalal was part of a larger network involved in inter-district vehicle thefts.