Yogi Adityanath’s government in Uttar Pradesh has now cracked its whip against Haji Galla, aka Haji Naeem, who is said to be the backbone of the Meerut auto thieves union. In a recent development, Meerut police were poised to seize an illegally occupied Defense Ministry bungalow worth Rs 10 crore, which was used as a warehouse to cut up vehicles stolen by the Galla gang.

Haji Galla from Sotiganj, Meerut, imprisoned for looting and theft of stolen vehicles, had Bungalow No. 235 of the Department of Defense Estates on West End Road in Meerut Cantt and erected a warehouse there to dismantle the vehicles. filed an FIR against Galla and his sons at the Sadar Bazar police station.

Galla had built this godown ten years ago and has been using it ever since to store and dismantle stolen vehicles. Interestingly, police raided this warehouse several times in the past and recovered stolen luxury vehicle engines and components. However, it is surprising why no concrete action has been taken against the auto thieves union so far.

Defense Estate Officer Harendra Singh informed that West End Road Bungalow No.235 is registered in the name of Ram Ratan Kapahi and others under Old Grant. The land belongs to the Ministry of Defense, but much of it has been illegally occupied by Haji Galla and his sons. This is a flagrant violation of the terms of the old grant. The bungalow cannot be bought or divided into parts, and no other construction can be carried out there without requesting the prior authorization of the Department of Defense.

At the same time, the police report also confirmed the illegal dismantling of vehicles in this bungalow by Galla and his sons. Police in Sadar Bazar registered a case under Articles 406, 427 and 448 of the IPC and Article 3 of the “Law on Prevention of Damage to Public Property”. The police completed the documentation to confiscate the illegally occupied property worth ten crore. The Defense Ministry has also opened an investigation into the case.

In its investigation, SIT discovered that Galla had acquired huge properties over the past 20 years through the car scrapping business. In shady revelations, police marked Galla’s properties worth Rs 100 crore in the Punjab. While Oromo’s business was centered in Delhi-RCN, he had been operating from Punjab for the past five years. Police discovered that most of the stolen vehicle engines were supplied to the Punjab, where Oromo recently made his fortune.

Earlier in October, police in Meerut seized Haji Galla’s luxurious bungalow worth Rs 4 crore 10 lakh, two residences and a warehouse on the orders of the district magistrate. In addition, its eight department stores were also seized and all of its bank accounts were frozen.

In addition to this, the government of Uttar Pradesh has launched an investigation into 32 dumpsites in the Sotiganj Kabadi Bazar in Meerut that are believed to be associated with Galla and his sons. After Galla’s surrender, the Meerut police have since kept the scene a secret and hence the successful seizure of his anonymous properties. Police discovered that Galla and his sons illegally made goods worth around Rs 48 billion.

As such, Meerut Police have registered prosecutions against 65 junkyard dealers under the Gangster Law, and the Goonda Law has been invoked against up to 120 notorious junkyard dealers. A SIT has been set up to investigate the auto demolition cases in Meerut.