Man held for stealing 15 two-wheelers to ‘avenge’ own bike theft, say police

Chhatrpati Sambhajinagar: The MIDC Cidco police of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city arrested a 48-year-old man for allegedly stealing at least 15 two-wheelers from different parts of the city over the past year, and recovered vehicles worth around Rs 8.5 lakh. The police said the accused turned to bike thefts to "avenge" the loss of his own motorcycle, and to make quick money after his financial condition deteriorated.The accused has been identified as Shaikh Faruk Shaikh Ismail, a resident of Aziz Colony in Naregaon. He was nabbed on Monday by a special team of the MIDC Cidco police while he was standing with a suspicious motorcycle near CIPET College, following a tip-off from a confidential informant.MIDC Cidco inspector Geeta Bagwade said, "The accused earlier assisted his uncle, a civil contractor, who died in 2022. Around the same time, his sister, who had invested heavily in a plotting business, suffered losses due to cheating, leading to a legal dispute that went to court. During this period, his financial condition weakened considerably."Bagwade said the accused told police that, on one occasion, after attending a court hearing, he came out to find that his own bike was stolen. "To avenge this theft and to make some quick money, he claimed he began stealing motorcycles," she said.During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to stealing 10 to 15 motorcycles from areas such as Prozone Mall, MGM Hospital, and the district court premises on different occasions. He also admitted to selling some of the stolen vehicles to various people across the city after affixing fake registration numbers, while hiding others for later sale.Based on his disclosure, police recovered a total of 15 two-wheelers. The recovered vehicles were collectively valued at approximately Rs 8.5 lakh.A case was registered at the MIDC Cidco police station under sections 303(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The accused was produced before a court, which granted police remand until Friday.