Cop's bike stolen while he was busy manning traffic

A thief stole a traffic policeman's motorcycle which was parked15 feet away from him, while he was discharging his duty during the evening peak hour in Ghatkopar last Wednesday. Assistant Sub-inspector Liladhar Gavde (57) had parked his two-wheeler below the under-construction Metro line in Sarvodaya Nagar.

When he returned to the spot after clearing the traffic, he found the vehicle missing. "I was stationed at Sarvodaya Junction since morning. At 4 pm, I proceeded to the traffic chowky in order to collect a walkie-talkie, as I had been assigned duty near Oberoi Hotel in south Mumbai the next day," Gavde said.

After collecting the items, he was heading towards his residence on the bike when he witnessed heavy traffic at Sarvodaya Nagar and parked the vehicle aside to manage it.

"Around 6.30 pm, I parked my bike and started directing the traffic. As soon as the traffic was cleared at 8 pm, I went to the spot where I had parked my bike but it was missing."

He started searching for his two-wheeler, beginning to think that a towing van may have hauled it away. "Initially, I thought that someone may have shifted my bike to another spot or that it may have been impounded. I inquired of my colleagues but got no clues," Gavde said.

The officer then informed the senior police inspector of Ghatkopar traffic division, who asked him to report the matter to the Ghatkopar police station. "Even the senior officer arrived at the police station to help me lodge an FIR," said Gavde, adding, "I had purchased the bike in 2002. I am not upset with the loss of the bike, but the walkie-talkie and the files belonged to the traffic department and are important. I just hope the robber doesn't misuse them."

An officer from Ghatkopar police station said, "We have lodged a complaint of theft and the investigation is going on." Police have registered a case under section 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code. u00a0