With the arrest of three persons, the crime branch (unit I) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police commissionerate claimed to have busted a gang involved in a spate of bike lifting cases in Mira-Bhayandar and Mumbai. The police recovered 25 stolen two-wheelers from their possession.
Alarmed by the rising cases of bike thefts in the region, DCP (Crime) Dr. Mahesh Patil intensified vigil and activated their informer network in the region.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team led by Police Inspector Aviraj Kurhade, API Vilas Kute and API Pravin Swami apprehended Yogesh Prabhakar Mangela alias Gani (36), a resident of Nehru Nagar in Bhayandar (west).
After rounds of sustained interrogation, Gani confirmed his involvement in a series of bike lifting cases which he had committed since 2017. He also revealed the names of two brothers identified as Sachin Vaity and Kalpak Vaity, residents of Arnala village in Vasai, to whom he sold the stolen bikes.
The police team immediately nabbed the duo and recovered 25 stolen bikes from their possession. 20 out of the 25 bikes turned out to be Honda Activa scooters which proved to be one of the most sought-after vehicles for thieves.
Not ruling out their involvement in more bike lifting cases in and around the region, the police team said that the trio have been arrested and booked under section 379 of the IPC.
With miscreants striking at an average of one lifting every alternate day, vehicle theft has turned out to be the most often reported crime in the rural areas of Thane and Palghar districts.
