Police have arrested two auto lifters, who are said to be members of a gang led by Afroz Usmani. Usmani was arrested by the Mumbai ATS for providing vehicles to terrorist groups for planting bombs in parts of Surat in July last year.

Afroz’s accomplices, Hemant Kumar and Shyam Narain from Sakinan and Chhaprabhangi respectively, were arrested earlier this week and eight vehicles lifted from Mumbai were recovered from them, Mau Superintendent of Police Mahesh Kumar Mishra said.

During investigation, it was found that they had lifted the car in which they were travelling at the time of arrest and the registration number it bore was originally of a tractor. They confessed to have stolen seven other vehicles and all were recovered.

Fake documents of registration had been prepared for all the vehicles to take them to Nepal, Bihar and Jharkhand for sale.

Afroz of Varanasi, arrested by ATS Mumbai two months ago, was living in Bhiwandi in Mumbai for many years.

He is accused of arranging a car for the terrorists,

who planted bombs in Surat after the Ahmedabad serial blasts on July 26.