Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Jawaharnagar police arrested three men involved in a five-month-long spree of motorcycle thefts to fund drugs and personal expenses, including outings with a girlfriend. Officers recovered all 14 stolen bikes.
Police detained Samarth Kale (22, Rajabazar–Sillekhana), Pawan Chaudhary (18, Begumpura) and Sohel Baig (27, Cantonment). Samarth, a BA student addicted to drugs, learned bike theft from local criminals and later involved Pawan in the crimes. Motorcycle thefts had sharply increased across the city. On 17 November, thieves stole Amol Dake’s bike from outside a hospital in the Gajanan Maharaj area. CCTV footage pointed to Samarth, already known to police for previous offences. Constables Maroti Gore and Anil Bhale traced Pawan and then Samarth, with additional support from Indalsingh Maher, Sandeep Bilari, Pravin Kapre, Mangesh Ghughe, Satish Sanap, and Vijay Sure.
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Fake documents used for selling stolen bikes
During interrogation, Pawan and Samarth admitted selling the stolen bikes to Sohel for Rs 15,000–25,000. Sohel then resold them for Rs 50,000–60,000. Police said he also claimed to have photocopied RTO documents to facilitate sales, though verification is ongoing. Sohel reportedly stayed at a lodge in the API Corner area to meet buyers, selling some bikes in Malegaon. Samarth has 5–6 previous cases and was reportedly thrown out of his house by his father due to his behaviour. He met Pawan during drug sessions, after which Pawan joined him in stealing bikes. Police continue to investigate and said more offences may come to light.