Mumbai cops bust gang of thieves; three held, 46 motorcycles recovered

Mumbai, Jan 14 (PTI) Police have busted a notorious gang allegedly involved in stealing motorcycles from the western suburbs of Mumbai by arresting three persons, including the kingpin, an official said on Wednesday.

Police recovered 46 stolen motorcycles from a workshop operated by one Ashpak Mansuri, the prime accused, in Jogeshwari area.

In recent months, several cases of motorcycle theft have been reported in the jurisdictions of Juhu, DN Nagar, and Versova police stations. Acting on these inputs, police teams launched a focused investigation. Based on CCTV footage and technical analysis, Munna Mali and Janardan Bane were arrested, police said.

During interrogation, the duo allegedly admitted to carrying out reconnaissance during the day and stealing motorcycles parked outside residential societies or on roads at night.

Police discovered that stolen motorcycles were sold to one Ashpak Mansuri, who runs a workshop in Jogeshwari.

Police said Mansuri would dismantle the stolen motorcycles at his workshop and sell them or their spare parts. His detention led to the recovery of 46 stolen motorcycles.

The gang had stolen motorcycles from Goregaon, Colaba, Versova, and DN Nagar, with a majority of the thefts reported within the Versova police station limits.

Police officials said that an investigation is underway and more theft cases are likely to be solved based on disclosures made by the accused, an official added. PTI ZA NSK