Bike thieves held near Gudiyatham; 11 two-wheelers recovered

Two persons were arrested by Gudiyatham Town police on Gudiyatham - Vellore Main Road near Gudiyatham in Vellore on Sunday for stealing two-wheelers, mostly at bull race events and public places, at key towns in Vellore, Ranipet and Tiruvannamalai districts for the past few years.

Police said the arrested persons were identified as S. Gokulraj, 21 and his relative G. Subramani, 47. They are residents in Gudiyatham town. Police recovered 11 two-wheelers from them. After doing a few odd jobs, the duo started to steal two-wheelers at bull race events and temple festivals in these districts to evade attention from public and police. Being a son of mechanic K. Subash, Gokulraj had skills to repair two-wheelers and remove their spare parts.

Based on several complaints, Vellore Superintendent of Police (SP), A. Myilvaganan, formed special teams to nab the duo. They also analysed CCTV footage on the routes where two-wheelers were stolen at public events.

During surprise vehicle checks, police stopped the duo, who were in a two-wheeler. They gave contradictory statements that aroused suspicion of the police. They were not able to show valid documents of the vehicle. They were taken to the police station. 

Initial inquiry revealed that all two-wheelers belonged to the same motorcycle company as they found it easier to resell them in the black market. Stolen two-wheelers were kept in a godown before they were sold at cheap rates without documents, mostly to agricultural workers, illegal arrack sellers in adjoining districts.

Each stolen two-wheeler is sold between ₹5,000 - ₹10,000. A case was registered and later they were lodged at Central Prison in Vellore. A probe is underway.