In a major breakthrough, Madhotal Police have arrested two accused involved in an inter-state vehicle theft racket and recovered 15 stolen two-wheelers worth around Rs 15 lakh from them. The stolen vehicles include 12 from Jabalpur and three from Raipur and Chhattisgarh. The accused have been identified as Rakesh Komal Shrivas (48), a resident of Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Aakash Vihar, Madhotal and Rajesh Laxman Prasad Sahu (30), a resident of Gali No. 4, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Madhotal. According to Madhotal police, the case came to light after Umesh Dev Pandey lodged a complaint that on March 12, he went to Apollo Hospital to get his wife Savitri Devi Pandey treated. He had parked his Hero Passion Pro (MP20 NC 3893) near the hospital gate. When he returned at about 12 noon, the motorcycle was missing. Acting on the complaint, police registered a case under Section 303(2) of the BNS and began an investigation. During the investigation, CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding areas was examined. On March 14, police raided the Patan Bypass area where suspect Rakesh Shrivas was found with a motorcycle.

 

When he failed to produce valid documents, he was taken into custody and questioned. During interrogation, Rakesh confessed to stealing two-wheelers and handing them over to his accomplice Rajesh Sahu, a mechanic. Rajesh dismantled the stolen vehicles and replaced parts in customers’ motorcycles without their knowledge. Rakesh used to hide the stolen bikes behind a public toilet near Patan Bypass and later deliver them to Rajesh’s workshop as per his instructions. On their information, police recovered a motorcycle from Rakesh’s possession, six motorcycles hidden in an empty plot behind Oriya Matar Mandi near Patan Bypass, six motorcycles hidden behind a toilet at Patan Bypass and two dismantled motorcycles from Rajesh’s workshop. Police said Rakesh Shrivas has previous cases of assault in Madhotal and theft and vehicle theft in Damoh (Madhya Pradesh) and Raipur (Chhattisgarh). Meanwhile, Rajesh Sahu also has a vehicle theft case registered at Vijay Nagar Police Station. The successful operation was carried out by a team led by SHO, Virendra Singh Pawar, along with SI, Vijay Shukla, Vishweshwar Verma, Head Constables Ajay Srivastava and Lalji Yadav, and Constables Sachin Mehra, Nikesh, Vinay Singh, Rahul, Kunal Yadav, Vinay Kumar, and Deendayal Bus Stand staff including ASI Vijay Shukla, Head Constable Dhirendra Singh and Mehtab Khan.