Automobile shops raided, spares seized in TS

HYDERABAD: The Medchal special operation team (SOT) raided 30 automobile shops, 28 in the city and one each in Warangal and Siddipet, and seized duplicate spare parts worth Rs40 lakhs, police said on Tuesday. Police named; Alwal, Diamond Automobiles, Lothkunta; Mahalaxmi Automobiles, Bachupally; and Mathaji Automobiles, Suraram as receivers of duplicate spares.

The raids that began in the morning on Monday stretched till late in the night, police said. The accused were identified as Ganpat Kumawat alias Ganesh, Suresh Chand, and Sravan Kumar, siblings and natives of Pali district, Rajasthan, who had migrated to the city in 2008.

Their supplier was Naresh, a Rajasthan native in Delhi, police said. The accused used to pack the duplicate spare parts in the name of well-known brands and even printed fake barcodes.