Ghatkopar Police have arrested a habitual motorcycle thief who was delivering food using a stolen bike. The accused has been identified as Shantanu Rane (24), and a stolen two-wheeler has been recovered from his possession.
A complaint regarding the theft of a Honda Unicorn motorcycle was registered at a police station in the Ghatkopar area. Acting under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Satish Jadhav, Sub-Inspector Pandurang Salunkhe and the Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Squad were on patrol when they received a tip-off from an informant about a youth riding a motorcycle without a number plate.
Based on the information, the police laid a trap at Parsekar Chowk in Katodipada. The suspect, later identified as Shantanu, was intercepted and asked to produce vehicle documents. He gave evasive replies, following which the police checked the chassis number of the motorcycle and confirmed that it had been stolen from the Ghatkopar area.
Police investigations revealed that Shantanu has had a troubled life. A resident of Balkum, Thane, he grew up in an orphanage and was later adopted by a couple. However, he developed a strong fascination for expensive two-wheelers from a young age and began stealing motorcycles purely for riding pleasure. Over time, this obsession pushed him into crime, and multiple cases of motorcycle theft have been registered against him in Thane city.
Realising that merely riding stolen bikes would not sustain him financially, the accused decided to use the stolen vehicle for earning a livelihood. He removed the number plate of the stolen Unicorn bike and started working as a delivery boy at a hotel in Sakinaka. Without a licence and registration plate, he was freely delivering food across Ghatkopar, Sakinaka and Marol areas.
However, due to police alertness, Shantanu was finally caught. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Satish Jadhav and Police Inspector Sheikh, with the involvement of Sub-Inspector Pandurang Salunkhe and police personnel Deepak Bharti, Nilesh Pawar, Amol Suryavanshi, Ajay Ahire and Balasaheb Gavhane. Further investigation in the case is being conducted by Constable Deepak Bharti.