Police have arrested a transport department official in a major interstate luxury vehicle smuggling racket busted in July, bringing the total arrests to 11. Papum Pare District Transport Officer (DTO) Yajum Lombi Yumlam, posted at Yupia, was detained from her Itanagar residence on Saturday for allegedly aiding the illegal registration of stolen vehicles. This case reflects broader smuggling challenges in India's northeast, where organised gangs exploit remote borders to traffic high-value items from urban hubs like Delhi-NCR.

Earlier, data entry operator Charu Akey from DTO Palin in the Kurung Kumey district was arrested on August 27. A special investigation team (SIT) led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Kengo Dirchi has seized 75 high-end vehicles and served notices to over 80 individuals under Section 36(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, requiring them to join the probe.

The racket involved at least 57 luxury vehicles valued at over Rs 30.5 crore, stolen from Delhi-NCR and northern India, then moved to Arunachal Pradesh with forged documents. A suo motu FIR on July 2 triggered a statewide crackdown, recovering vehicles mainly from the Itanagar Capital Region. All were blacklisted and linked to FIRs in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and other states.

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Investigations show the gang used brokers to alter engine and chassis numbers before creating fake registrations, selling the vehicles at reduced prices locally. Police are now tracing potential international financial ties and digital money trails, with expectations of further arrests as the inquiry deepens.

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