BENGALURU: A police constable and three associates, including two minors, have been arrested for allegedly stealing two-wheelers in the city. Fifty-three vehicles, worth Rs 77 lakh, have been recovered.
The accused policeman is Honnappa Duradappa Malagi alias Ravi, 28, a constable attached with Vidyaranyapura police station and working at the office of DCP (northeast) on deputation. The other arrested are Ramesh, 26, and two 17-year-olds.
Police said Ravi got to know the two minors, who were working at a two-wheeler service station in Vidyaranyapura. To earn a quick buck, he allegedly hatched a plan to have them steal vehicles. He gave them shelter at his rental house in Vidyaranyapura. Ravi sought help from Ramesh, a man from Rajasthan who worked with an apparel shop in Chickpet area, to sell the stolen vehicles. Together, they disposed of at least 16 two-wheelers. The minors allegedly stole vehicles from Nandini Layout, Vijayanagar, Yeshwantpur, HMT Layout, Jalahalli Cross, Gangamma Circle, Hebbal, Jnanabharati, Peenya and other areas. They rode the vehicles to Ravi’s residence, where they replaced defective parts.
Sold with fake RC books
Ravi trawled through online advertising platforms to find details of two-wheelers available for sale. He wrote down their registration numbers and fixed them on the stolen vehicles. He also created fake RC books and sold the vehicles in North Karnataka districts.
“We’ve learnt the gang sold vehicles at Ranebennur and Haveri...,” said Sanjeev M Patil, DCP (west). According to police, the minors allegedly stole a bike belonging to businessman Prasanna Kumar MD from outside his Rajajinagar Industrial Town residence on October 29. Magadi Road police registered a case. Patil formed a special team to investigate, identified the suspects as minors and learnt about Ravi’s role later.
