Nashik: The rural police have warned of strict action against artists who make number plates without proper documents of motorists.“Artists engaged in making number plates have been asked to maintain records of photocopies of registration certificates, licences, permits, Adhaar numbers, phone numbers, etc, of the clients whose number plates they were making. These records will be of crucial help in cases of stolen vehicles,” inspector Ashok Karpe of the crime branch said.The police on Saturday busted an inter-state gang that would steal motorcycles from the rural areas of Nashik and sell them in Gujarat and vice-versa. They had seized 21 motorcycles.The investigations have revealed that in most cases the number plates were made locally and sold to the buyers. Police are now searching for the people who have been helping gangsters in making forged number plates for stolen vehicles.“We have decided to take strict measures against such people. If found engaged with the criminals in forging of number plates, they would also be booked as co-accused in vehicle theft cases,” the officer said.The city police have already barred artists from making number plates without proper documents. In Nashik city, 528 vehicles were stolen in 2016, while 602 were stolen in 2017. In the rural areas of Nashik, the number of vehicles stolen in 2017 was around 450.

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