Pune: Notorious Vehicle Thief Caught By Pimpri-Chinchwad Police; 15 Vehicles Recovered, 16 Cases Solved (VIDEO)

Chakan: A notorious history-sheeter vehicle thief has been caught by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police, officials said on Sunday. A total of 16 cases have been solved and 15 stolen vehicles have been recovered. The action was taken by the Detection Branch (DB) of Chakan Police Station within the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC).

The thief has been identified as Ashok Madhukar Sonawane (resident of Ahilyanagar). This arrest has resulted in solving of 11 cases registered with Chakan Police, and one case each registered with Shirgaon and Vadgaon Maval Police Stations. The remaining two are yet to be determined, police said.

According to Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Solanke of Chakan Police Station, senior police officials had instructed that vehicle theft should be controlled. Acting on these instructions, the DB team, led by Assistant Police Inspector Prasanna Jarhad and others, started an investigation. 

Cases of recently stolen vehicles were investigated. In this process, the DB checked over 200 CCTVs. Police determined that Sonawane was the common accused in many cases. A tip-off received by police led to Sonawane's arrest. 

From him, 15 motorcycles worth Rs 8.25 lakh have been recovered. Upon his arrest, he confessed to the vehicle theft during questioning. Chakan Police are investigating the matter further. 

The action was taken under the guidance of Pimpri-Chinchwad Commissioner of Police Vinoy Kumar Choubey, Joint Commissioner of Police Dr. Shashikant Mahavarkar, Additional Commissioner of Police Sarang Awhad, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 3) Bapu Bangar, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Chakan Division) Rajendra Singh Gaur. The DB team, led by Senior Police Inspector Solanke, included API Jarhad and others.