The Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of Delhi Police’s Shahdara district arrested a 23-year-old habitual auto-lifter allegedly involved in multiple two-wheeler theft and snatching cases, officials said on Wednesday.

The police also recovered four stolen vehicles and solved four motor vehicle theft cases across Shahdara, Central and South districts.

The accused, identified as Ritesh alias Piyush Tinku, a resident of Paharganj in Delhi, was apprehended on October 24 near a petrol pump on the Dilshad Garden-Ghaziabad DLF carriageway, within the jurisdiction of Vivek Vihar police station, following specific intelligence, according to the police.

At the time of his arrest, the accused was allegedly found in possession of a black motorcycle. Police verification revealed that the motorcycle had been reported stolen in an e-FIR registered at Patel Nagar police station in Central District on September 18.

The operation was launched after police received reports of recent two-wheeler thefts in Shahdara district. A dedicated AATS team was formed to identify and apprehend those involved in the offences. The team analysed CCTV footage, conducted field enquiries, developed local intelligence and deployed personnel in plain clothes to track suspected auto-lifters.

During interrogation, Ritesh allegedly disclosed his involvement in other vehicle theft cases.

Acting on the information provided by him, the police recovered three more stolen two-wheelers, taking the total recovery to four.

The recovered vehicles include a white scooter, a black motorcycle and a blue scooter, in addition to another motorcycle. Verification linked the vehicles to theft cases registered at Hauz Khas police station in South District and Vivek Vihar and Anand Vihar police stations in Shahdara District.

With these recoveries, the police said they had worked out four motor vehicle theft cases spanning three districts. All four cases were registered under Section 305(B) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the police, Ritesh is a Class IX dropout who lives with his family. Available records indicate that he has been apprehended by different police stations in Delhi since 2024 in connection with motor vehicle theft and snatching cases.

The accused was recently released from judicial custody on October 12 and allegedly resumed stealing two-wheelers thereafter, police said.

Police records show that he has previously been involved in 17 cases related to snatching and motor vehicle theft.

Further legal proceedings are underway.

The Northern Range Traffic Police team registered three FIRs against commercial vehicle operators for allegedly using fake No Entry Permissions (NEPs) during a special enforcement drive conducted at Delhi’s border areas amid the implementation of Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The drive was conducted on October 27, on the directions of Dr. Sachin Kumar Singhal, IPS, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Northern Range, to check commercial vehicles and ensure compliance with traffic regulations.

During the operation, three commercial vehicles were found allegedly using fake NEPs. Subsequently, three FIRs were registered at the respective police stations under Sections 318(2) and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as applicable.

In the first case, vehicle number DL1LAC3219, driven by Vikram, 38, son of Kamlesh, was found using NEP number 221120255308406. An FIR (No. 622/26) was registered under Section 318(2) of the BNS at Alipur police station.

In the second case, a Tata Ace bearing registration number DL1LAQ4160, driven and owned by Santosh, son of Motilal, was found using NEP number 10112025S295772. An FIR (No. 623/26) was registered under Section 318(2) of the BNS at Alipur police station.

In the third case, vehicle number DL1LAG4982, driven by Gaurav Kumar, son of Ashok Kumar, was found using NEP number 19012023S165940. An FIR (No. 916/26) was registered under Sections 318(2) and 340(2) of the BNS at Samaypur Badli police station.

The vehicles and the persons concerned were handed over to the local police for further legal action.

The enforcement drive comes amid deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage I of GRAP with effect from October 21 after air quality entered the ‘Poor’ category.

Delhi’s air quality remained ‘Poor’ on Wednesday, with the city-level Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 250 at 8 a.m., according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s All India AQI portal.

Just days after a Class 12 student died after allegedly immolating herself in East Delhi, another student died by suspected suicide at her residence in Delhi’s Bharat Nagar area, police said on Tuesday.

The body of the Class 12 student was found at her home with a scarf tied around her neck, under the Bharat Nagar police station area. According to the investigators, a preliminary probe suggests it is a case of suicide.

The Bharat Nagar police have taken custody of the body and initiated an investigation into the matter.

Police said that some chat messages have surfaced during the initial probe, indicating that the girl had been under distress.

However, the case is being investigated from all possible angles.

The incident comes days after a Class 12 student died after allegedly pouring an inflammable substance on herself and setting herself on fire at Sarvodaya Bal/Balika Vidyalaya in East Delhi’s Krishna Nagar area.

The recovery of the student’s charred body at Sarvodaya Bal/Balika Vidyalaya triggered panic among teachers and students on the school premises, prompting the authorities to initiate an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the student’s death.

Officials said certain suspicious items were reportedly found in the student’s school bag. However, the nature of these items had not been officially confirmed at the time of filing the report.

According to officials, a Police Control Room (PCR) call reporting a fire incident was received from the school located in the Krishna Nagar area of Delhi’s Shahdara district.

“Upon receipt of the information, police staff from PS Krishna Nagar promptly reached the spot, where an approximately 18-year-old female student of Class 12th was found in a burnt condition behind the school guard room,” officials said.

They further stated that some materials were recovered during the initial proceedings at the scene and from the deceased student’s school bag. These items are being examined as part of the investigation.

The police said a Crime Team of the Delhi Police was called to the school to inspect the scene, examine the circumstances and collect relevant evidence that could help establish the sequence of events leading to the incident.

“The circumstances leading to the incident are being examined, and further enquiry is in progress,” the police said.