Vehicle lifters in Jaipur supplying stolen SUVs to drug traffickers, 10 held in 15 days

Jaipur: City police arrested 10 individuals over the past 15 days for their alleged involvement in inter-state rackets that supplied stolen high-end vehicles to drug peddlers operating across Rajasthan, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh. On Monday, the crime branch recovered two stolen Tata Harrier SUVs, valued at Rs 25 lakh, along with a Scorpio allegedly used in criminal activities. Officials said the vehicles were bought for as little as Rs 4 lakh from thieves and later used for transporting narcotics.

"The gangs use high-powered vehicles to evade police checks while smuggling drugs across state borders. These luxury cars are fast and less likely to attract suspicion," said a senior official. Investigations revealed that many gangs procured stolen vehicles through a network of brokers, altered their identification details, and repurposed them for narcotics transportation. "There is a growing nexus between vehicle lifters and drug traffickers. The gangs are using stolen SUVs to establish a seamless supply chain for smuggling," the official added.

Police said some suspects also used a parallel method—renting vehicles using fake identities and then selling them to drug networks. "On April 10, we busted a gang in Jaipur that was misusing rental vehicles by furnishing fake ID documents and selling them to traffickers," said an official. "The traffickers reportedly pay upfront, prompting criminals to prefer them over grey market buyers. After tampering with number plates and vehicle exteriors, the cars were used either to transport drugs or as escort vehicles for liquor smuggling operations," said an official.

Police said that the gangs earlier would steal the SUV or sedans, find a place to hide them until a customer was ready for delivery.

"This posed a great risk for them as police could come knocking anytime and find the stolen vehicles. On the other hand, drug traffickers would easily take the delivery and would often pay in advance," said the official.