Four Interstate Two-wheeler Thieves Arrested

Mangaluru: The Vittal police arrested four persons in connection with thefts of two-wheelers at Vittal on May 31, said SP Bhushan Gulabrao Borase in a press meet held at his office here, on June 1.

The arrested have been identified as Mansoor (19) from Puttur, Shabir (19) from Golikatte Puttur, Toufiq (22) from Kabaka and Majeed (25) from Kadirudyavar, Belthangady.

Police have also recovered 11 two-wheelers worth Rs 7.5 lakh from their possession.

According to the police, on May 31 at around 6 pm, during a routine checking of vehicles, the Vittal police noticed a person riding a Yamaha motorbike along with a pillion at high speed. While the police signaled the bike to stop, the rider did not stop it. The police then chased the bike and at Perla, both the rider and the pillion left the bike and fled. They were soon apprehended. During the interrogation that followed, both confessed that they had stolen the bike from Kukkarakatte and were taking the bike to Kerala where they would sell it.

Mansoor and Shabir also confessed that with the help of Toufiq and Majeed, they had stolen two-wheelers from Puttur, Sullia, Belthangady and Madikeri. They had hidden five stolen bikes in an abandoned house at Kambalabettu and another 5 bikes near Big Bazar in Kasaragod so that they could sell them in other states.

According to the statement of the arrested, all the 11 two-wheelers were seized by the police. The details of the bikes are Yamaha RX-100 (1) from Vittal police station limits, Honda Dio Scooter, one each from Madikeri city police station limits and Madikeri Rural police station limits, Pulsar Bike (1), from Sullia Police station limits, Yamaha DZ (1) from Beltangady police station limits, 3 Honda Dio and 3 Yamaha FZ from Puttur city police station limits.

When asked the modus operandi used to commit the crimes, the SP replied that they would break the handle lock and start the vehicle by hot-wiring the bikes. Earlier, they used duplicate keys but now they have adopted easier ways. The SP urged the people not to park vehicles outside the compound of their houses since the handle locks are too weak and can be broken easily. In case the vehicle is parked outside, it is better to use double locks.

When asked about the police protest on June 4, the SP said that so far no police personnel had applied for leave. “Police welfare is a routine activity and a continuous process and we have taken all the necessary measures to ensure it. Last year, a grant of Rs 1.68 crore was sanctioned for the welfare of the police and we receive the grant every year,” he added.