Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police Saturday claimed to have busted a gang of bike lifters with the arrest of three history-sheeters and the recovery of 15 stolen two-wheelers from their pos session in the city.
The accused have been identified as Akash Pradhan, 33, Budhibaman Sahoo, 28, and Ratnakar Sahoo, 41. Apart from the vehicles, police also recovered forged registration documents, smart cards and keys used in the thefts.
Addressing the media, Bhubaneshwar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jagmohan Meena said the gang was operating in a well-organised manner. “During the investigation, it was found that Akash and Ratnakar used to target two-wheelers parked in crowded areas of the City over a long period. They would use master keys to open locked vehicles and drive them away. The stolen vehicles were then taken to a garage run by Budhibaman at Budhakera in the Brahmagiri area,” he said.
At Budhibaman’s garage, the accused altered engine and chassis numbers. They also prepared forged registration certificates and smart cards and sold the vehicles to unsuspecting buyers, the DCP said.
Meena said all three are history-sheeters. “While Akash has at least 30 criminal cases registered against him at different police stations across Odisha, Budhibam and Ratnakar have three cases each at Nayapalli police station,” he said.