KOCHI: Police have arrested three youths who allegedly stole a car after tracing the car's location through GPS. The arrested youths have been identified as Malappuram natives Iqbal Saleem (24), Muhammad Fahil (26) and Shyam Mohan (23).

They were caught in a case of stealing a Hyundai Verna car sold to a Nedumangad resident in Thiruvananthapuram at the Palavarivattom bypass. The accused used a duplicate key to steal the car from the complainant.

According to the police, the accused used to put advertisements on OLX stating that the cars were for sale. Before selling the cars, they fix GPS trackers on them and make duplicate keys. After selling, they steal the car by following it using the help of the GPS tracker.

The accused were nabbed within a week by a special investigation team led by Ernakulam Assistant Commissioner Y Nizamuddin. Upon receipt of the complaint, the police identified the culprits by collecting their Google Pay information, phone numbers and account in the OLX application. Police nabbed the culprits while they were leading a luxurious life in Bengaluru.

The car, which was bought from a Palakkad native, was sold to the Nedumangad native at a good price. The police also found that the accused had sold the same car to a Palluruthy native in January before stealing it from him in the same manner.

The accused were produced in court and remanded. They will be taken into custody and questioned to find out if they have deceived more people.