Two bike thieves caught, three bikes recovered; one accomplice still on run

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Police have arrested Umesh Kalskar (24) and Purushottam Shinde (20), both residents of Mukundwadi, for stealing high-end Bullet and sports bikes by breaking handle locks in seconds. The Pundliknagar Police recovered three bikes from their possession and are in the process of seizing two more, said Inspector Ashok Bhandare. Their third accomplice remains at large.

On August 23, a Bullet bike belonging to Ganesh Shinde of Gajanan Nagar was stolen from outside his residence at night. The theft was captured on CCTV. Acting on Inspector Bhandare’s instructions, Sub-Inspectors Arjun Raut and Sunil Mhaskey began tracking the suspects. However, since the duo had no prior criminal records, identifying them was challenging. Police later discovered that some youth were marketing expensive bikes on Instagram, which gave a crucial lead in the investigation. Police contacted Umesh via Instagram, posing as a buyer. He refused to meet them and provided minimal information. A clue from a scene in the old film “Yaadon Ki Baraat”, where a call included railway sounds, helped police infer that he lived near railway tracks. They also obtained a photograph of a building near the tracks. Following Inspector Bhandare’s directions, Sub-Inspector Arjun Raut, Sunil Mhaskey, Enforcement Officer Sandeep Bidkar, and officers Vilas Solanke, Prashant Narode, and Ajay Kamble laid a trap near the railway tracks. Two days later, when Umesh came to buy a snack, police arrested him. Soon after, Purushottam was also caught. Police are continuing their search for the third accomplice, who remains on the run. Police inspector Bhandare confirmed: “The suspects are part of a small gang targeting high-end bikes. We have recovered multiple vehicles and are working to locate the remaining stolen bikes and apprehend the third accomplice.”