3 collegians held for stealing bikes

The joyride ended for three college students, who used to steal motorbikes, when two of them met with an accident while being chased by policemen.

The joyride ended for three college students, who used to steal motorbikes, when two of them met with an accident while being chased by policemen.

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Narbahadur Malla, 21, a second-year commerce student at a Mulund college and Jitesh Suryogandh, 19, a first-year commerce student at a Thane college, were arrested after being discharged from hospital. Malla works at a call centre.

Their accomplice, Pralhad Shetty, 19, a first-year commerce students at a Thane college, was arrested on Thursday night after the police interrogated his two friends.

On March 11, a Rabodi police team on night patrol duty caught Malla and Suryogandh trying to steal a bike. The accused tried to escape on their bike and the policemen gave them a chase. At Vartaknagar, the two met with an accident and were admitted to Sion hospital.

While Malla, who lives in Lokmanyanagar, was discharged from the hospital on March 20, Kasarwadavli resident Suryogandh was discharged on Thursday.

“The three friends had been stealing bikes for more than a year, but their families did not know about this because they would park the stolen bikes far from their homes,” said police sub-inspector Satish Ghotekar.

“They stole bikes to impress girls and do stunts. They would usually steal bikes from the Upvan lake and Vasant Vihar areas and rode on them until the fuel ran out or found a better bike,” said Ghotekar.

The police have recovered six stolen bikes from Vartaknagar, Wagle Estate, Kasarwadavli and Mulund.