Accused in UP's Sotiganj racket to be booked under Gangster Act

The 25 odd accused in Sotiganj car-breaking and stolen auto-parts racket, will now be booked under the Gangsters Act.

The Meerut police had busted the Sotiganj racket last week and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had commented on "the bold action of the state government to crack down on the market" at Shahjahanpur while inaugurating the Ganga Expressway on Saturday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Meerut, Prabhakar Chaudhary said that police have completed an almost six-month-long probe, in which several traders were found to be indulging in illegal activities.

"There are several traders in Sotiganj who already have 25 to 30 police cases on them. These cases include charges of theft, robbery, cheating, and attempt to murder. We will take stringent action against those found guilty and the Gangster Act will be slapped on them."

The police are preparing a list of suspicious traders, verifying their details, and scanning their properties and social network.

The Sotiganj market that has over 300 shops and employs roughly 1,000 people, has been shut since December 12.

Properties of these traders, including Haji Galla, Iqbal Kabadi, Mannu Kabadi and Zeeshan, worth over Rs 50 crore, have been attached.

The Sotiganj market is one of the biggest hubs for illegal trade in spare automobile parts in India.

The market, which came up more than seven decades ago, has been known to be the place where vehicles, including cars and bikes, stolen from western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi are brought to be dismantled. Officials said highly skilled mechanics can completely dismantle a motorcycle in merely 15 minutes, and a car in less than an hour.