Police have arrested a 58-year-old mechanic for allegedly stealing motorcycles of popular brands from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, an official said. The police have so far recovered 35 motorcycles that he had stolen, and are trying to trace 15 others, he said.
The accused, a resident of suburban Vikhroli in Mumbai, runs a motor garage in Ghatkopar area of the city. He had been externed from Navi Mumbai and Thane for two years. There were 46 offences registered against him at various police stations, including Vashi, Nerul, CBD Belapur, Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, Andheri, Powai in Mumbai, and Kasarwadavali in Thane, Deputy Commissioner of Police Vivek Pansare said.
In view of the increasing thefts of two-wheelers from the region, the police had stepped up patrolling. Recently, a police patrol team found a man moving in a suspicious manner in Navi Mumbai’s Rabale area. They stopped him and found him carrying a bag with keys of motorcycles, screw drivers, cutters and spanners inside, he said.
The police seized as many as 27 motorcycles from his possession and also recovered eight others that he had stolen and later abandoned. The police are trying to recover 15 more motorcycles that he admitted to have stolen, Pansare added.