Bhubaneswar: Police on Thursday busted a four-member gang of motorcycle lifters, arrested all its members and recovered 46 bikes from them.
The gang members were involved in motorcycle lifting from the premises of the court, the sub-registrar's office, the tehsil office and Capital Hospital. The gang leader - Sashi Das, 51 - used to lift motorcycles in the guise of an advocate.
The police have identified Das through the footage of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera installed at the Bhubnaeswar tehsil office. Subsequently, the police laid a trap on the court premises and Das was nabbed while trying to steal a motorcycle in the outfit of a lawyer.
Later, Badagada police arrested the three associates of Das - Kanhu Charan Sahu, 36, Ajay Kumar Swain, 22, and Loknath Behera, 25. Police commissioner Satyajit Mohanty said that the gang was active for around three years.
"The accused used to dress as a lawyer to avoid suspicion. They have mainly been targeting government offices. We have also started the process of handing over recovered motorcycles to the bonafide owners," said Mohanty.
The police on Thursday handed over 17 motorcycles to their owners.
"The gang was involved in at least 15 bike theft cases at Badagada and Capital police station areas in Bhubaneswar and Niali police station area in Cuttack. A probe is on to further verify their antecedents," said a police officer.
The gang members used to dispose of the stolen motorcycles at throwaway prices between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 in rural areas of Cuttack district. "The gang also used to steal motorcycles from the parking space in front of city temples. We urge the residents to double lock their motorcycles while parking," he said.
Vehicle lifting has become a concern here with 2,179 vehicle theft cases being registered in the city between 2015 and 2017. More than 90 per cent of vehicle theft cases are related to motorcycles. "Most of the times, the gangs involve in motorcycle lifting either tamper the engine and chassis number or dismantle the vehicle making it difficult to trace," said another police officer.
