New Delhi: The police crackdown on organised syndicates using specialised, fraudulent stickers to illegally exempt commercial vehicles from traffic enforcement has widened, with the crime branch dismantling a third active module. The breakthrough culminated in the arrest of the module’s kingpin, Rinku Rana, and his key associate, leading to a massive seizure that included Rs 31 lakh in cash and documents linked to properties worth several crores, sources said. Rana (38) and Sonu Sharma (33) were arrested from Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar early on Thursday. Sharma’s role included operating WhatsApp groups for sales and circulating real-time alerts about police checkpoints, effectively coordinating the fraud.During the search, police found over 500 stickers/markas and crucial evidence on the proceeds of crime. The documents of seven properties in Delhi and Haryana, believed to be bought with the crime proceeds, and six mobile phones used to run the operation have been seized. Both Rana and Sharma were produced before a court on Thursday with police seeking their custody.Police have also nabbed another key member of one of the two modules busted on Wednesday, taking the total number of arrests to eight. Mukesh (52) is an associate of Raju Meena, arrested earlier. Mukesh alias Pakodi was a pivotal mediator for Meena’s group, which specialised in extortion, particularly targeting govt and police officers. Mukesh, who was previously involved in two extortion cases with Meena, played a crucial role in “settling” matters for the syndicate and was the bridge between traffic cops and drivers. Property documents were also seized from his premises. The crime branch has filed an FIR under MCOCA against the syndicate, which has been in operation since over 10 years. Several police officers, serving and retired, are under the scanner, sources confirmed. The call details and IP details of the suspects, their Whatsapp chats and phone books are being analysed. A senior officer is likely to be questioned, the source added.The investigation has revealed that commercial vehicle drivers, desperate to avoid the hassles and restrictions of ‘no-entry’ timings, were shelling out between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 monthly for a sticker that promised guaranteed “free movement” within Delhi.The entire operation was highly structured and technologically driven. One of the kingpins, Jeeshan Ali, coordianted vehicle movements with his field operators through WhatsApp groups, which acted as the command and control centre issuing real-time directions on routes, coordinating checkpoints and providing updates on the position and movement of traffic police to help vehicles with the sticker navigate safely. The illegal earnings were routed through multiple bank accounts set up in the names of the mastermind’s family and friends. The syndicate implemented monthly changes to illegal stickers, altering their design, colour and codes, to avoid detection.“The accused were involved in fabricating videos of police personnel, threatening them with departmental action, extorting money, recruiting new members and carrying out continuing unlawful activities for pecuniary gain,” DCP (crime branch) Sanjeev Yadav had said.
