The Piler urban police arrested eight members of an inter-State bike-lifting gang, and seized 30 new motorcycles worth ₹45 lakh from their possession.
Special parties have been deployed to track elusive members of the gang elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Superintendent of Police S. Senthil Kumar told reporters that acting on complaints regarding the theft of motorbikes in Piler town last week, special teams were formed with Circle Inspector (Piler Urban) Sadiq Ali. The teams took into custody a couple of youths on Thursday who were moving suspiciously on the outskirts of Madanapalle near the border with Karnataka.
On interrogation, it emerged that the duo was part of an inter-State gang of bike-lifters. Their modus operandi was to steal new bikes in Bengalaru and other places in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. So far, the gang had reportedly sold several stolen bikes at throwaway prices through online platforms. Preliminary interrogation led to the arrest of eight accused persons till Friday evening.
The SP said that one Sumanth Babu alias Puli of Madakasira in Anantapur district was identified as the kingpin of the gang with several criminal cases booked against him at several police stations in Karnataka. A photo studio operator was involved in preparing the fake registration and purchase documents of the vehicles. The accused have been sent on remand, and a further investigation is on.
