Mumbai Crime: 22-year-old who stole bikes for foreign tours arrested

The accused used to steal bikes and spend the money by visiting pubs. He even went to Malaysia last year and was in the pipeline to gather money for his Europe trip

NM Joshi police have arrested a 22-year-old man from Tardeo who used to steal bikes to finance his foreign tours. The bike thief was identified as Devendra Chalke, who was nabbed while he was trying to steal a bike near Mahalaxmi Workshop, Lower Parel. Devendra has toured Malaysia last year, was now planning for a Europe tour.

Bike theft cases went on a rampant in NM Joshi over the last few months. Bike parked outside housing colonies were also stolen, senior officials were worried due to the rising cases of the bike theft, they instructed rigours patrolling in all the zones. On the night of 3rd October, the patrolling team of NM Joshi was passing by from the Mahalaxmi Workshop at Lower Parel when they noticed a young boy sitting on an activa scooty.

The cops kept a watch on him and the boy got conscious when he noticed the police van. When cops went near the bike the boy started running away. The cops chased the boy and started interrogating him. "Initially he tried to tell us that the bike belongs to his friend and tried to make some calls, but finally confessed of stealing bikes," told an officer from NM Joshi Police station.

Devendra Chalke, the resident of Nav Maharashtra Nagar, lives with his parents and brother. Graduated from a college in Mahalaxmi, Devendra was fond of a lavish lifestyle. He doesn't drink or smoke, but he has an attraction of a lavish lifestyle. He started stealing bikes one and half year ago and started spending the money by visiting pubs. After collecting around lakh rupees he traveled to Malaysia in 2017" told another officer. "He was with some of his friends, since then he gained the confidence to commit the crime" the cop added.

After stealing the bike, he used to visit any random garage and used to sell it, claiming that his mother is ailing and he needs money urgently. "Till now Devendra has confessed of stealing 20 bikes out of which 5 were stolen within the jurisdiction of NM Joshi. Devendra has stolen bikes from Dadar, Mahim too" added another officer.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!