Hitting it big, Ranchi police arrested a gang of motorcycle thieves from Barkagaon in Hazaribagh, recovering 18 two-wheelers from their possession. The group of 15 robbers has confessed stealing more than 70 bikes till their arrest.
“Observing a steep rise in cases of bike theft, several teams were formed to apprehend the criminals involved and recover the stolen vehicles. Extensive search operations were conducted in latehar, Hazaribagh and Chatra with help from local police officials, which led to the arresting of the gang,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Dwivedi during a press conference on Saturday.
The gang included six thieves, Subodh Kumar Sahu, Gangadhar Sao, Kameshwar Mahto, Vijay Kumar Sahu, Shyam lal Ganju and Rajkishor Singh, and nine receivers.
Explaining the modus operandi of the gang, Dwivedi said, “The six robbers used to snatch bikes and sell them to the receivers as soon as possible for a price between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000, depending on the vehicle’s condition. The receivers then sold those to a third party with a margin of Rs 2,000.”
The robbers, most of them hailing from Hazaribagh and some from Chatra, used to come to Ranchi exclusively for stealing motorcycles. Once getting hold of the stolen bike, receivers took it to villages at a distance from where they were stolen, mostly other districts.
“The bikes were dispersed in Keredari of Hazaribagh, lawalong, Kunda and Tandwa in Chatra, latehar and Ramgarh. Subodh furnished forged documents for the stolen vehicles on demand to make them easier to sell. Engines of bikes in rundown condition were used in rural areas to make pump-sets for irrigating fields,” the SSP said.
In a simultaneous drive, police also seized 29 unclaimed motorcycles from the parking spaces near Hatia railway station and Ranchi railway station in Chutia. Seven of them were released after their owners presented authentic documentation for the vehicles, but 22 bikes, most probably stolen, are still parked in various police stations of the city.
“Hiding stolen motorcycles in parking lots to avoid suspicion is a new trend emerging among bike thieves. When drives are conducted to recover stolen vehicles, thieves hide them in parking lots and then take them out on the first chance when it presents itself,” said the SSP.
He further added, search for legitimate owners of the motorcycles is still on but most of them appear to be stolen, on account of broken handle locks. Recently, the incidence of motorcycle thefts went up from 90 to 100 per month to more than 125 per month.
“These arrests have helped in negating a big faction of bike thieves active in the State. A few more who are on the run will be apprehended soon,” stated City SP Kishore Kaushal.