Kendrapara, July 18: Police have busted a gang of bike lifters here today by arresting nine of its members and seizing 14 stolen motorbikes, besides arms.

The criminals had been operating in the district and neighbouring areas. They also operated in places such as Jajpur, Chandikhole, Paradip, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

“Of the 14 bikes seized, most were lifted from this township. They have stolen over 50 motorcycles. The gang members used to keep a close watch on movement of the motorcyclists before breaking open the lock and fleeing with their vehicles. On most occasions, they stole motorbikes from places such as hospitals and bus stands,” said inspector of Kendrapara police station Ranjan Kumar Dey.

The arrested criminals are Babuli Das, Abu Basar, Seikh Nawaj Sharif, Seikh Rehmat, Sahid Ali, Abdullah Khan and two others. They also indulged in a number of burglary cases.

While Das was the mastermind of the racket, Seikh Rehmat, a motor garage owner, was receiver of the stolen bikes. Rehmat used to dispose of the stolen bikes to prospective customers. For the other arrested gang members, who were in their mid- twenties, this was their first criminal act. Some of them are from established family and have good educational background.