Bike obsession turns criminal: Notorious thief nabbed with seven two-wheelers

Lokmat News Netwoek

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A 22-year-old serial bike thief, was arrested by Pundliknagar Police on Thursday.

The accused has been identified as Pappu alias Rahul Baban Rathod, resident of Naiknagar, Beed Bypass, The accused had been targeting parked two-wheelers across city neighbourhoods, breaking handle locks to steal them for personal joyrides and resale. The arrest followed a complaint lodged on June 10 by Sunita Ashok Pawar of N-4, whose moped was stolen from outside her residence. Acting on PI Krishna Shinde’s orders, PSI Arjun Raut and API Sunil Mhaske launched an investigation using CCTV footage and tip-offs, which led to Pappu’s identification and subsequent arrest. The police team including constables Prakash Dongre, Sandeep Beedkar, Vikram Khandagale, Prashant Narode, Ajay Kamble, Ankush Wagh, and Yogesh Chavan recovered seven motorcycles and a snatched mobile phone during the operation. According to police, Pappu is a habitual offender with a string of thefts reported in Pundliknagar, Jawaharnagar, Satara, and Chikalthana. He would ride the stolen vehicles until fuel ran out, then abandon or sell them. One stolen mobile phone was recovered from the Beed Bypass area.

Photo caption:

Recovered bikes and mobile phone displayed by Pundliknagar Police after the arrest of a habitual thief who admitted to stealing vehicles for thrill rides.