Jamshedpur : The city police busted a gang of bike looters by arresting five members of the gang from the Mango area near the city on Friday. The police also recovered five looted bikes from the possession of the arrested persons. Besides the looted bike, the police recovered a cell-phone from one of the accused.
Those arrested have been identified as Mohammed Abdul Sabir Mohammed Salim Khan, Javed Khan, Mohammed Mahfuz and Rajen Murmu, all were in their early twenties and residents of Azadnagar in Mango. One of the accused, Bijay Tirkey (30) who is a resident of Barris Colony Azadnagar has managed to escape.
Senior superintendent of police Amol V Homkar said that on February 14 evening a gang of armed looters had stopped two bikers and looted their bike at gun point near Sidhu-Kanhu Chowk on Dimna-Patamda Road under Bodam police station area close to Jamshedpur.
According to the senior SP, on getting the complaint he immediately set up a team of police office which comprised of deputy superintendent of police (Patamda) Amit Kumar and officials from the Technical Cell of the district police. A senior police official who is in the investigating team said that all the five bikes were recovered from the house of Murmu.
The police officer said that those arrested did not reveal from where they had stolen or looted the three other bikes, but divulged that the repainted bikes were supposed to be sold to a persons in Purulia district of Bengal for resale.
Despite claims from police the staggering rise in the number of motorcycles stolen in past few months, have shocked the city.
The district police, however, have failed to take any concrete action to curb the theft of motorcycles, which remain one of the most popular, and cheapest, forms of personal transportation. Observers say that taking the lack of police effort in this area into account is also one of the reasons for the sudden rise.
Requesting anonymity, a senior police officer the victims who are a part of the lower middle class do not generally protest to pursue the case. �This is the reason why the motorcycle theft issue has never been taken seriously,� he observed.
He added that motorcycles can be easily disposed of, and there is �no concept of proper registration plates for motorcycles�. He said that the number of motorcycles had also drastically increased.
Most of the snatched or stolen motorcycles end up in the used spare parts markets after they are dismantled, according to sources, who add that a small number of motorcycles are taken to Bihar and other neighbouring states where they are disposed of.
According to information non-availability of legal parking spaces is another issue that needs attention. In previous cases, vehicles stolen from city were found registered with the transport authorities of other States.
The problem can be resolved only through computerization and networking of data bases ensuring non-duplication of records.