Four arrested, 11 cases of vehicle thefts solved

Pune: The crime branch of the Pune police on Thursday arrested four criminals on police records and solved 11 cases of vehicle thefts.
Police recovered three motorcycles and a pick-up van, collectively worth Rs 3.6 lakh, from the suspects.
Investigations revealed that the suspects used caps of fuel tanks to steal pick-up vans. The fuel tank caps and ignition switch are operated using a single key.The suspects would make a duplicate using the cap and then steal the van. "To steal motorcycles, the suspects used master keys," deputy commissioner of police (crime) P R Patil said.
Police said that the suspects include Rohit Rakshe (21), Sagar Bhalerao (19), Sagar Dhavale (24), all from Hadapsar and Amol Yevale (29) of Ahmednagar. The crime branch (unit-V) team led by inspector Laxman Borate arrested them while investigating recent vehicle thefts form Hadapsar and nearby areas.
During the probe, assistant inspector Mahadev Waghmode received a tip that Rakshe and Bhalerao have been using stolen motorcycles. "We laid a trap and nabbed the duo along with Dhavale and Yevale," he said.
During sustained interrogation, the suspects confessed to stealing motorcycles and pick-up vans from Hadapsar, Chandannagar, Wanowrie and Mundhwa areas. They were also involved in a few burglaries, Waghmode said.
He said that the suspects were using master keys and within few minutes they used to steal the motorcycles.
"Many times they used to steal the vehicles to travel from one place to another within the city. They would dump the motorcycles after emptying the fuel tank," Waghmode said. Bhalerao has 11 cases registered against him, while Amol Yevale has eight.