India's Infamous Car Thief who Stole Over 1000 Cars! - Dhani Ram Mittal

It's astounding that he deceived so many people yet lived a comfortable life. He misused his intelligence, leaving me to wonder how different his life might have been if he had used it in the right way...

BHPian MotorDev recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Dhani Ram Mittal | India's Infamous Car Thief who Stole Over 1000 Cars!

- Dhani Ram, originally from Haryana, began his journey as a determined student who graduated from Rohtak in 1964. Despite his efforts in various government exams, success avoided him. Frustrated and impatient, he turned to a life of crime, drawing inspiration from notorious conmen like Natwarlal.

- Dhani Ram earned a diploma in handwriting and graphology. He then began making fake driving licenses to make money. As he got bored with this, he moved on to larger scams. Dhani Ram went on to create counterfeit educational certificates and got a senior job with the railways as a station master in 1968. In this position, he used his authority to steal money and property from the railway. After six years, he resigned from his job as a station master.

- In 1974, while in Delhi, he spotted new cars and chose to steal them . Dhani Ram was very clever, stealing in broad daylight as if the cars were his own. Despite frequently getting caught and arrested, he built connections with fellow criminals in jail. With his wealth, he managed to secure bail regularly, and he even attempted jailbreaks on several occasions.

- With help from his criminal connections, Dhani Ram began stealing more cars using increasingly sophisticated methods. After stealing them, he would change their appearance by repainting them and replacing their number plates to avoid detection. His notoriety grew to the point where almost every police officer in the area could recognize him on sight. Taking inspiration from Natwarlal, he started to disguise himself.

- Feeling bored once again, Dhani Ram made friends with some lawyers he had known previously. He pursued a law degree and practised law for a short time. One day, he read about corruption charges against an additional sessions judge in Jhajjar in the newspaper. Pretending to be a registrar from the Haryana High Court, he wrote a letter to the additional sessions judge of Jhajjar, falsely claiming he had been instructed to take charge until the inquiry against the judge was completed .

- Disguised as a sessions judge, he issued more than 2000 bail orders, many for criminals involved in car theft with him. Dhani Ram also managed to dismiss many cases against himself. Suddenly, after 40 days, he disappeared. The police realized it was Dhani Ram again but it was too late.

- Eventually, he was caught along with the 2000 criminals he had bailed out. Despite this, the incident made him very famous in India, earning him titles like "Super Natwarlal" and "the Indian Charles Sobhraj."

- As security systems in cars became more advanced in the 2000s, Dhani Ram started stealing older models like Ambassadors, Maruti 800s, and Padminis. His desire to steal cars didn't fade even in his 70s; he was caught red-handed for the 126th time stealing a Maruti Esteem in 2016.

- Dhani Ram was arrested 95 times in 40 years. He passed away earlier this year from a heart attack at the age of 85. He ended up stealing over 1000 cars in India. It's astounding that he deceived so many people yet lived a comfortable life. He misused his intelligence, leaving me to wonder how different his life might have been if he had used it in the right way...

Source - Bisbo (YouTube), Economic Times

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.