Mechanic workshop by day, dismantling unit for stolen two-wheelers at night

Police said the four men would sell two-wheelers they lifted to this shop, where these vehicles would be dismantled within a matter of minutes and their parts sold, Chinmoy Biswal, deputy commissioner of police (south-east), said.

A shop that acted as a safe house for stolen two-wheelers in south Delhi’s Batla House, which was being operated under the guise of a motorcycle workshop, was busted by the police Friday and four suspected vehicle-lifters arrested.

The dismantling unit was operating out of a 100 square yard plot that was taken on rent for ₹5,000 a month.(Representative image)

Police said the four men would sell two-wheelers they lifted to this shop, where these vehicles would be dismantled within a matter of minutes and their parts sold, Chinmoy Biswal, deputy commissioner of police (south-east), said.

The dismantling unit was operating out of a 100 square yard plot that was taken on rent for ₹5,000 a month, the DCP said. “We recovered two stolen motorcycles, and the dismantled parts of 25 other stolen two-wheelers, apart from a host of tools used in the crime,” the officer said.

The owner of the unit, a man identified by as Ismail (single name), remains on the run.

Police said the bust happened as a result of their probe into a series of two-wheeler thefts in the region. “We checked the CCTV footage near the crime spots and zeroed down on four suspects who were found loitering at those places,” the DCP said.

The breakthrough, however, came after the police set up a picket in Joga Bai Extension early Tuesday. “Four men on a scooter and a motorcycle were stopped for checking. They turned out to be vehicle thieves and the two-wheelers they were riding on were stolen,” the officer said.

Their questioning not only led to the recovery of three more stolen motorcycles, but also guided the police to the dismantling unit in Batla House.

Identifying the arrested men as Saddam Hussain, Mohd Sameer, Mohd Shadab and Mohd Shahzad, the DCP said that this gang had stolen at least 44 motorcycles so far.

“Each time, they would hand over the vehicles to Ismail who would dismantle them, sell the parts and distribute the money among the gang members,” the DCP said.