ISLAMABAD, Nov 9: The capital police took the leader of country's biggest auto-thieves gang in their custody from Peshawar.

The car lifter was shifted to Islamabad from Peshawar jail a few days ago and was handed over to the anti car-lifting cell.

Zazay Khan was arrested last month by CIA Peshawar but he managed to escape from police custody within days.

It was suspected that he had sympathisers in the police department who helped him in escaping, the police added.

Later he was re-arrested and after interrogation was sent to Peshawar jail on remand from where he was brought to Islamabad.

A senior police officer told Dawn that he was operating an auto-theft gang, comprising 14 members for the last seven years. He had been arrested on several occasions, but he was notorious for escaping from police custody within days.

Initially, he would steal motorcycles but later he switched to lifting cars, especially Toyota Corolla XLI and GLI.

In Islamabad, he along with his gang struck in the areas of Margalla, Shalimar, Industrial Area, Sabzi Mandi and Aabpara police stations, the officer said adding that he was involved in over 100 car-lifting incidents reported in the capital.

Likewise, 14 of his accomplices were highly skilled in auto-thefts and were believed to have lifted hundreds of vehicles in the city.

The auto-thieves were also skilled in jamming the tracking system and had modern and sophisticated equipment, the officer said.

He further revealed that the gang was also involved in making bogus registration books of vehicles, which indicated that it had links with officials of various excise and taxation departments in the country. Fake registration books were also recovered from him.

During interrogation, Zazay Khan confessed to having stolen 90 cars from the capital alone and it was also believed that he would reveal more information, the officer said.

However, no recovery has yet been made.

Efforts were in progress to get details and whereabouts of the stolen cars, the officer added.

Besides, separate teams had also been constituted to trace and arrest the 14 accomplices of Zazay Khan and bring them to Islamabad for the recovery of hundreds of cars that had been stolen from the federal capital.