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Accused of stealing and masterminding theft of at least 5,000 vehicles, Anil Chauhan may have been skilled enough to carry out a nefarious operation but the long arms of law caught up with him recently when Delhi Police officials arrested him after carrying out a special operation.

While Chauhan may have seen the inside of a prison cell before, his latest arrest is being stated as a major achievement for law enforcement officials and one that could bring down incidents of car thefts in many parts of and surrounding Delhi. After all, Chauhan is accused of having stolen over 5,000 vehicles since 1997. A Class-I contractor in the Assam state government, his main line of work was far more dubious and according to officials, he often managed to give cops the slip.

 Chauhan is also accused of supplying illegal arms with DCP Central District Shweta Chauhan saying that the operation against Chauhan was launched due to a rise in supply of such illegal weapons in many parts of central Delhi. Delhi Police officials received a tip off about the accused having reached Delhi and a special operation was launched to nab him. It is reported that one illegal country-made pistol was recovered from Chauhan, apart from two live cartridges and a stolen motorcycle. During the course of subsequent investigations, an additional five country-made pistols and a stolen vehicle were also recovered.

Police officials say that Chauhan is an accused in as many as 180 criminal cases and while he has been arrested previously as well, has not mended his ways.

Instances of vehicles being stolen have been reported in recent times from many parts of Delhi. The stolen vehicles from here usually make way to northern states where these are either re-painted and sold off or dismantled for parts. Delhi Police continues to urge vehicle owners in the city to take precautions when parking their vehicles with measures like tyre and steering locks, alarm locks as well as gear shaft mechanics emerging as the biggest deterrents for potential car thieves.