Bike theft racket busted, 5 held from East Midnapore

Kolkata: Police have arrested five persons including one from Odisha for their involvement in a bike theft racket. They have recovered 27 motorcycles.

All the five were arrested from East Midnapore district. Acting on a tip off, a team comprising senior police officers from the district conducted raided different places and arrested the active members of the racket.

The arrested persons are Mir Mustak, Sk Mostafa, Sk Jakir, Bapan Manna and Ajay Das.

Police said Mustak, Mostafa, Bapan and Jakjir are residents of East Midnapore district. Ajay is originally a resident of jagat Singhapur in Odisha. But he had been staying at Khejuri in East Midnapore for the past few years.

Police was receiving several complaints of motor theft in the district.

They initiated a probe and came to know about the bike theft racket that had been operating in two to three districts including East Midnapore for the past few months.

Police was on the lookout for the involved persons and maintaining vigil. They received the whereabouts of persons and arrested five of them.

Police are gathering more information in this connection and trying to know whether any one else is involved in the racket.

Members of the racket used to target motor bikes those are left outside offices or market places. Besides operating at certain places in East Midnapore, they also stole motorbikes from other adjacent districts including Howrah.

Police have recovered 27 motorbikes from their possession. They had kept the bikes at their hideouts before selling out the same.

Police are interrogating them to ascertain their modus operandi. They are also trying to get information about the people who they used sell these bikes to.

It may be recalled that police had earlier unearthed that engines of stolen bikes were smuggled to a neighbouring country.