Mumbai: When a night patrolling team attached to the local crime branch (LCB) unit of Thane (rural) police intercepted a boy who looked to be a minor riding a bike in Bhayander (east) on Wednesday, little did they know that they had stumbled upon one of the members of a gang involved in a spate of bike thefts in and around the twin city. It was during questioning that they realised that the boy (name withheld as he is a juvenile) was part of the three-strong bike stealing gang.
The stolen bikes were in turn used to snatch mobile phones and other valuables of pedestrians. Alarmed by the spurt in cases of bike theft, Thane (rural) SP Dr Mahesh Patil directed the LCB to be extra alert and nab the culprits.
Based on the information provided by the boy, the LCB team led by senior police inspector Vyenkat Andhale and API Badaakh, apprehended Shubham Neeraj Singh (20), a resident of Bhayander said to be the kingpin of the gang which he not only named Team 23 but also went about pasting its stickers on the stolen bikes. The police recovered 15 stolen bikes, 11 mobile phones and cash from them.
A case under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the trio. Shubham has been remanded to police custody till February 5 after he was produced before the district sessions court on Friday and the juvenile has been sent to a rehabilitation centre.
