Commerce graduate turns bike thief, pawns them to throw parties

Nagpur: A 28-year-old commerce graduate, Rishabh Asopa, belonging to a businessman’s family, was arrested by Sitabuldi police on Wednesday for stealing bikes from different parts of the city. Police have recovered 12 bikes from Asopa, who used to mortgage them to have parties with his rich friends.
Police said Asopa has some 15 offences registered against him at various police stations. It’s learnt he approached many of his contacts to mortgage the bikes, claiming they were his own, as he needed money urgently for his father’s cancer treatment. Asopa would accept whatever was offered in return for the mortgage, ranging from Rs4,000-5,000 to Rs10,000. He would never return to take the bikes back, or answer calls from the persons duped by him.
Sitabuldi police said Asopa is also engaged in an illicit relationship with the wife of a co-accused, for which he needed money regularly and also splurged on her generously. “Asopa’s elder brothers are in the hardware business, which his eldest brother operates from Gujarat. It seems Asopa had started stealing bikes as he needed money to party around with his friends who were from rich backgrounds,” said a cop who was part of the investigation.
Asopa was nabbed after one of the persons to whom he had mortgaged one of the stolen bikes revealed his modus operandi to Sitabuldi police, who were already searching for him. He was trapped near Manas Chowk by Sitabuldi police team of Assistant PI Santosh Kadam, sub-inspector Kailash Magar, head constable Jaipal Rathod, constables Pravin Wakode and others under inspector Amol Kachore.
Police said Asopa was an addict too in the past but his family had helped him undergo rehabilitation. “During investigation, Asopa admitted committing thefts at Tehsil, Ganeshpeth, Lakadganj, Kotwali, Jaripatka and other localities,” said a cop.
ASOPA HAD MASTER KEY
Rishab Asopa was a seasoned bike thief, and carried a couple of master keys. As the master keys work well on old Activa and Deo scooters, he would mostly steal such vehicles from different places. Asopa would look for vehicles left parked on the roads, whether in front of someone’s house or in parking lots.