In a hurry to escape, bicycle thief fails to spot police logo, held in Delhi
On Wednesday, a 23-year-old man from south Delhi, allegedly stole the bicycle from Lodhi Garden. He, however, did not make it too far as he landed in the police net 10 minutes later. What gave him away was the Delhi Police logo pasted behind the bicycle.
The theft of a police bicycle last Wednesday has prompted the force to issue strict orders to patrol police officers to ensure their bicycles are secured at all times.
On Wednesday, a 23-year-old man from south Delhi, allegedly stole the bicycle from Lodhi Garden. He, however, did not make it too far as he landed in the police net 10 minutes later. What gave him away was the Delhi Police logo pasted behind the bicycle.
The incident was reported from the Tughlaq Road police station. At around 4 pm on February 28, a police officer spotted a man on a bicycle, normally used by police to patrol the city’s gardens and parks.
A senior officer said that the stolen bike had a Delhi police logo with the words — Delhi police – near the handle but it had worn off in the last two years. The alleged bicycle thief, Mushtaq alias Sameer in a hurry to flee with the bicycle had failed to spot the small sticker at the back.
“I was on duty near Khan Market when I spotted a man wearing plain clothes, who was on a police bicycle. I asked him to stop and asked him if it was his cycle. He fumbled and had no answers. He tried to leave the bicycle and escape but we caught him. He confessed he had stolen the bicycle,” said a police officer, who was part of the three-member team that arrested Mushtaq.
During questioning, Mushtaq allegedly told police that he was taking a stroll at Lodhi Garden when he saw the bicycle under the tree and fled with it. Police said the suspect did not have a criminal record.
In July 2017, the Delhi police had come up with bicycle patrol facility for markets, gardens and parks from where crimes such as snatching, molestation, rape and theft were reported. The force had then had launched the service with 65 bicycles. Currently they have more than 200 such bicycles.
Two days after the theft, all police officers who conduct bike patrols have been ordered to chain their bicycles or lock it to prevent it from getting in the hands of the bicycle thieves.