Trio arrested for bike thefts, 46 stolen two-wheelers recovered

The arrested accused have been identified as Munna Kedar Mali, Janardan Vishwas Bane alias Nana, and Ashpak Ibrahim Mansuri. Police said the gang’s modus operandi was to observe and take notes of parked two-wheelers on the roadside and steal them at night

MUMBAI: Three persons from Andheri and Jogeshwari were arrested on Monday for allegedly stealing 46 motorcycles worth ₹13 lakh from the western suburbs.

Trio arrested for bike thefts, 46 stolen two-wheelers recovered

The arrested accused have been identified as Munna Kedar Mali, Janardan Vishwas Bane alias Nana, and Ashpak Ibrahim Mansuri. Police said the gang’s modus operandi was to observe and take notes of parked two-wheelers on the roadside and steal them at night.

The case came to light after a complaint was filed by Raju Balkrishna Pujari, a resident of Andheri, whose motorcycle was stolen from the Barfiwala Road area in July last year. Around the same time, several bike thefts were reported from the DN Nagar, Juhu and Versova police station limits, prompting police to launch a special drive.

Based on CCTV footage and technical inputs, the police identified Mali and Bane and detained them on Monday. During questioning, the duo confessed to stealing motorcycles and selling them to Mansuri, who runs a workshop in Jogeshwari. Mansuri allegedly dismantled the stolen bikes and sold the parts to avoid detection.

Following this, the police arrested Mansuri and recovered 46 stolen motorcycles from the trio. Investigations revealed that the gang had committed thefts in areas including Goregaon, Colaba, Versova, and DN Nagar, with the majority of cases reported from Versova. All three accused were produced before a local court in Andheri and remanded in police custody.