The desperation of a 31-year-old mason made him steal motorcycles to track down his wife who had left him after becoming fed up with daily tantrums and fights over petty issues.
The mason who has been identified as Lahu Rathod (31) has been arrested and booked under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code. The matter has been reported from the Manikpur area of Vasai.
Alarmed by the sudden spurt in bike theft cases in the region, sleuths of the Manikpur police led by Senior Police Inspector Rajendra Kamble scanned footage captured by Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras installed in the vicinity of the theft spots and the possible getaway routes.
One of the cameras had captured clear images of the suspect as he stole a bike by directly connecting the ignition wires. Armed with the photographs, the police intensified vigilance and activated their core informer network in the region.
Lahu Rathod who had stolen five bikes, so far, ran out of luck when police personnel identified and caught him while he was attempting his sixth theft in the Dindayal Nagar area of Vasai.
In a revelation that surprised the police, Rathod said that used to steal bikes to search his wife. Once the bike ran out of fuel, he would abandon it and walk away. “He mainly targeted some particular bikes which he could manage to start with direct ignition,” said Kamble.
A native of Jalna district, Rathod stayed with his wife and daughter in Chulna village area of Vasai, before both left him last month. He is presently under magisterial custody, police said. Further investigations were underway.
