BELAGAVI: NipPani police busted a major vehicle-lifting racket on Thursday, recovering 13 vehicles valued at Rs 1.78 crore in total, including 11 trucks.
The kingpin of the racket — identified as Kallappa Sunil Kadam (46), a resident of Ankali village of Chikodi taluk — was caught while he was driving a stolen truck that helped the sentinels bust the racket. The vehicles, including 11 trucks and two cars, have been recovered from his possession. However, another accused Jameer Ibrahim Harchikar (46), a resident of Kolhapur, is absconding.
According to police sources, a truck owned Ganesh Khaded was stolen recently, following which a team under SP Laxman Nimbargi was formed to carry out the investigation. On Thursday morning, Police Inspector Santosh Satyanaik received information that the stolen truck was passing through Chikkodi Road near the cattle market. When he, along with fellow personnel, intercepted the vehicle, they realised that its body had been changed. Kadam, who was at the wheel, was taken into custody.
When interrogated, Kadam spilled the beans about the vehicle-lifting racket he had been carrying out, along with his accomplice Harchikar.