Two members of Mumbai gang arrested for stealing more than 100 bikes

Unit 9 of the Mumbai crime branch unit arrested two members of a gang that stole over a hundred customised two-wheelers. The bikes were stolen and taken to a Dharavi-based garage owner, who changed the engine and chassis of the bikes and sold them for huge profits.

The accused have been identified as Sahil Ganja, 31, the owner of the garage, and Arif Khan, 24, a bike thief. The police have recovered 35 bikes, including bullet motorcycles. The police, however, have not been able to trace the original owners of the stolen bikes, as the engines and chassis numbers were tampered with and the accused, who kept the record of the stolen bikes, is at large.

The arrested accused will be kept in police custody till Monday for further investigations, said the police. They are also questioning two more suspects. If their roles are ascertained, they will be arrested soon, said the officers.

Ganja runs a garage in Dharavi. When customers used to approach him for overhauling of the bikes, he made them an offer of giving new bikes with the same engine and chassis number. The other gang members, including Khan, would then steal a bike with the same colour as that of the customer’s bike. Following this, Ganja would then fit the engines and chassis from the customer’s bike onto the stolen bike.

According to the police, Ganja has been running this racket for over four years.

As per the preliminary investigation, it appears that the accused have stolen more than 100 bikes from Mumbai, especially from the western suburbs, said an official. “We have enlisted the help of regional transport officials and experts to identify the original owners,” said Nisar Tamboli, deputy commissioner of police.