The recent recovery of stolen trucks and dumpers plying in remote areas of the state has exposed a massive inter-state racket of stolen vehicles.
Evidences point to the capital city as the epicentre of illegal vehicle modification and a thriving industry based on erasing all Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN), including chassis numbers of stolen trucks and perhaps other vehicles.
Stolen vehicle owners also believe that the city is the centre of the racket.
The expose was after three trucks stolen from Silchar were recovered from Nongjri in South West Khasi Hills district in the last week of July.
These trucks had been totally modified and sources said that since the chassis numbers were still intact, the owners could clinch the ownership.
Following the recovery of these three trucks, another bunch of truck owners representing 18 stolen trucks from Silchar came to Shillong to seek police help to recover their stolen trucks for which FIRs had been filed in Silchar.
They stated that they had found out that the three recovered stolen trucks were modified in workshops in Nongthymmai called MS body build and other workshops in Sawlad, Demthring and Laitkor. They also handed over their letters with these allegations to the OC of Madanrting Police Station on August 13.
A visit to the workshops was also made by the vehicle owners who were accompanied by social activists, Agnes Kharshiing and her colleague Amita Sangma.
In MS body build workshop, it was found that the bodies of many trucks and dumpers were being modified. Most of them did not have chassis numbers as a grinding machine was used to omit them. It was also found that in some cases the heights of the bodies of the trucks were being extended which is clearly illegal, they said.
During the course of inspection the vehicle owners also pointed out several aberrations such as a “Six wheeler truck frame being fitted with the body of a 10 wheelers.” After visiting other garages including in Laitkor, the owners from Silchar said that even if these were their trucks, there was no way of claiming ownership outright as the identification marks were erased.
In a letter to the OC of Mawsynram Police Station, one of the stolen truck owners from Silchar, Bappon Chanda said that his truck TATA Tipper 1618 bearing registration number, AS 11 BC 7546, which was stolen from Silchar August 2, 2021 “may be lying and operating around your area.”
He further informed that many such vehicles of this make are lying in Majai, under Mawsynram police station and in garages there. He further said that he suspects that “many stolen vehicles are being modified in Shillong city under the Garage of MS body build by Manager Singh, Sawlad Demthring, Shillong…”
Meanwhile, out of curiosity a random registration number of a truck parked in one of the garages was e-checked on Vahan, a central portal to authenticate the vehicle numbers. There were no details for the number.
Speaking to the Highland Post a Silcar based activist, Tarik M said that one of the trucks found in Nongjri had a fake number ML07 9068 after it was replaced by its original number, AS11BC 6238.
“There are many trucks stolen from Silchar during the last one year and it is after nine months we have been able to recover three trucks with the help of the SWKH police, SP Bashan Laloo and the Nonghyllam Police outpost team” he said.
He said the suspected persons who are running the racket are housed in Meghalaya. They mainly steal TATA TIPPER 1681 (dumper) and modify them and sell them. He alleged that the masterminds are persons called Suraj Gill and one Abdul Hassan Barbhuiya and Rahim Uddin Barbhhuiya. These are sold and used in remote areas to carry coal, limestone and boulders, he added.
