Eight persons, involved in a large-scale racket in which nearly 100 illegally assembled luxury vehicles were sold at low prices and later stolen and resold, have been arrested by the Peliyagoda Crimes Division on Saturday (04).
Police said the organised gang had been operating the scam for a considerable period by selling vehicles, lacking proper registration documents, to bargain hunters, at rock bottom prices.
Investigations revealed that the suspects had secretly installed GPS tracking devices in the vehicles to identify where they were parked after the sale. The gang later used duplicate keys to steal the vehicles and resell them to other buyers.
So far, 25 such vehicles have been taken into custody by investigators, while nearly 75 more are expected to be recovered during the ongoing probe.
According to police, the suspects had obtained unregistered vehicles, vehicles whose owners were unable to continue leasing payments, as well as assembled vehicles and those allegedly brought into the country in violation of customs regulations.
Police have obtained court permission to detain and question three suspects, including the alleged mastermind behind the racket, while the remaining five suspects have been produced before court and remanded.
The suspects are residents of Buttala, Moneragala, Mahiyangana, Kandy, Ja-Ela and Nittambuwa.
Police urged members of the public, who may have fallen victim to the racket, to lodge complaints with the Peliyagoda Crimes Division.
by Norman Palihawadane and Hemantha Randunu
from The Island https://ift.tt/hYEf6nc
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