Juvenile bike theft gang busted, adult handler on the run

The police recovered eight stolen motorcycles worth ₹3.9 lakhs. The police says children are poor and were lured into this criminal activity

THANE: A gang of eight, seven juveniles and one adult were detained for a series of bike thefts in Thane on Tuesday. According to the police, the main accused is another man from Ambivali who trained the children. The unidentified man is on the run.

Juvenile bike theft gang busted, adult handler on the run

The minors targeted unattended motorcycles parked in various localities. When the locals informed the police about one of the minors riding bikes, a team led by officers from multiple units laid a trap and intercepted the suspects near Ulhas River road. Their interrogation revealed that they were involved in a series of bike thefts.

The police recovered eight stolen motorcycles worth ₹3.9 lakhs. Among the nine bikes, five were found linked to FIRs registered at Vithalwadi, Hill Line, Kalyan Taluka, Padgha, and Vartak Nagar police stations. The remaining three bikes are under verification.

The adult accused, Harshad Bharat Supe, 19, has been taken into custody and was presented before a local court on Wednesday.

The juveniles were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board on Wednesday. The police said that they have initiated an investigation to determine how these children engaged in criminal activities. Senior police inspector of Ulhasnagar crime unit 4, Ashok Koli said, “The children are poor and were lured into this criminal activity. We are searching for the main accused. We are also counselling the children and their parents.”