UP cop held in Delhi for stealing bike to repay gambling debts

CCTV footage from the date of the theft allegedly corroborated the accused’s presence from the site of the crime, police said.

A serving Uttar Pradesh Police constable was arrested in east Delhi’s Preet Vihar for allegedly stealing a motorcycle to clear gambling debts, police said on Sunday.

Investigators later traced the stolen motorcycle to a man in Meerut, who told police he had bought it from the accused via social media. (File photo)

Deputy commissioner of police (east) Abhishek Dhania identified the accused as Mohammed Mohseen, 27, posted with the 44th Battalion of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) in Meerut. He was apprehended during a patrol in Rajdhani Enclave Market earlier this week, when police recovered two master keys used to unlock motorcycles from his possession.

During interrogation, Mohseen, a 2019-batch official and resident of Baghpat, allegedly confessed to stealing a Hero Splendor from Preet Vihar in May. CCTV footage from the date of the theft allegedly corroborated his presence, Dhania said.

Investigators later traced the stolen motorcycle to a man in Meerut, who told police he had bought it from Mohseen via social media. The bike’s engine and chassis numbers had been tampered with, police said.

According to Dhania, Mohseen is married, addicted to gambling, and has previous cases of vehicle theft against him. “He targeted parked two-wheelers in Delhi using master keys, then sold them in UP through personal contacts and social media. He wanted to pay off his gambling debts,” the DCP said.

Police said that Mohseen was arrested under sections of thefts of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, adding that further investigation is under way.