Bike theft gang busted, 3 held

The arrests followed a two-month probe into a spike in bike thefts in Thane. Investigators found that the gang mainly targeted high-demand models, including Suzuki Burgman scooters and Royal Enfield Hunter motorcycles, from areas such as Hiranandani Estate.

THANE: The police have arrested three members of a gang allegedly involved in over 100 motorcycle thefts across Mumbai and Thane. Police said the alleged kingpin, Milind Manohar Sawant, has been booked in at least 70 cases and had previously served jail terms.

Bike theft gang busted, 3 held (Praful Gangurde)

The arrests followed a two-month probe into a spike in bike thefts in Thane. Investigators found that the gang mainly targeted high-demand models, including Suzuki Burgman scooters and Royal Enfield Hunter motorcycles, from areas such as Hiranandani Estate.

NB Kolhatkar, senior inspector of Kasarvadavali police station, said, “The stolen Burgman scooters were sold for ₹70,000 to ₹80,000 a piece, while the Hunter motorcycles fetched between ₹1 lakh and ₹1.25 lakh,” Kolhatkar said.

After analysing footage from more than 120 CCTV cameras, police traced the gang’s operations to Borivali and Dahisar. A tip-off about the sale of a stolen Suzuki Burgman in Santacruz led to the arrest of Sohel Abdul Sheikh, 21, and the recovery of three stolen two-wheelers from his possession.

According to police, the gang targeted vehicles parked without handle locks. The stolen bikes were moved to a parking lot in Mira Road and kept there for a few days to ensure they were not being tracked.

The accused allegedly obtained details of accident-damaged vehicles through the M Parivahan app and used them to alter the chassis numbers and registration plates of stolen bikes. The vehicles were then sold through online second-hand marketplaces.

“They would promise buyers that the vehicles would be legally transferred and registered in their names. However, after completing the sale, they would change their contact numbers and become unreachable,” said Prashant Kadam, deputy commissioner of police (Zone V). The trio was remanded to police custody till June 15.