Smuggler-turned-bike lifter from Andhra Pradesh lands in Bengaluru police net with 40 vehicles | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: Cornered by the Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF), a sandalwood smuggler changed his area of action and turned into a two-wheeler lifter. He stole vehicles from parking lots and residential areas until Yelahanka police swung into action and recovered 40 two-wheelers worth over Rs 30 lakh.The accused, Ravi Kumar Naik, 45, is a resident of Kadiri at Sri Sathya Sai district in Andhra Pradesh. He stole a two-wheeler from Maruthi Nagar in Yelahanka when the owner parked it on the roadside near his house. The owner returned in 10 minutes to find it missing.Police inspector ML Krishnamurthy formed a team to catch the vehicle lifters. Police verified the CCTV footage in Maruthi Nagar and surrounding areas and found the thief fleeing with the victim’s vehicle. Police shared the vehicle details with their informants and learned that the accused was Ravi. He was found in Bagalur Cross on June 24 with the stolen bike. He had stolen it a few hours before he was caught. On the same day, he lifted a two-wheeler and parked it near Yelahanka railway station which police seized later.Later, he was taken into police custody for 12 days. Ravi tried his luck by targeting vehicles that were unlocked. He would push the vehicle for some distance, connect the ignition wires directly, and ride away. He would also break the handle lock and steal vehicles. He committed thefts only during the day. He confessed to stealing bikes and scooters from different places across the city and Chikkaballapura. He was arrested for vehicle theft cases for the first time by Bengaluru police.He sold 11 two-wheelers and parked the remaining 27 two-wheelers at a few places in Andhra Pradesh. Police recovered the sold vehicles from the buyers and 27 others from different places between June 27 and July 3.With his arrest, police solved four cases registered at Yelahanka, Sampigehalli, Kodigehalli, Amruthahalli, Devanahalli, KR Puram, Avalahalli, Hoskote, Hebbagodi, and Chikkaballapura police stations. Efforts are on to trace the owners of 11 two-wheelers.Ravi’s wife is a dentist in Kadiri. He told police that due to encounters by the RSASTF since 2015, he stopped smuggling sanders completely. For the last two years, he has been focussing on vehicle thefts. He managed to sell them without documents in rural areas at a lesser price, ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000.