Bikes stolen in Gujarat sold for a pittance in MP

VADODARA: Motorcycles from Gujarat seem to be quite popular in the bordering districts of Madhya Pradesh like Alirajpur and Jhabua. It is just that these motorcycles are not made in Gujarat, but are stolen from Gujarat.
It has been known for quite some time that vehicle lifters from Alirajpur and Jhabua travel to nearby Dahod, Panchmahal, Chhhotaudepur, Vadodara and even Valsad districts to seal two-wheelers, but a string of such incidents have come to light since June.
In the last three months alone, Chhota Udepur police seized 57 stolen bikes from 15 people. In the same period, Dahod police nabbed a dozen accused and seized 19 motorcycles as well as an SUV (Mahindra Bolero) from them.
Sources said that a well-oiled network of people stealing vehicles as well as those selling them operates from MP. Investigations in the past have also revealed that the gangs sell motorcycles even by accepting money in instalments.
The motorcycles are sold cheap in Jhabua and Alirajpur districts. Whenever the police have laid hand on the accused in both Dahod and Chhota Udepur, multiple such thefts have been detected. A joint operation was also conducted in the past by Panchmahal, Vadodara rural and MP police to bust such a gang operating on a large scale.
Chhota Udepur police are always looking out for bike thieves as the district’s border with neighbouring Madhya Pradesh is porous and there are several interior roads for easy smuggling of stolen bikes.
“The gang sells these bikes for as low as 10% of the vehicle’s original purchase price. And they sell these bikes only to those people who would be using them within Madhya Pradesh because there is a fear that Gujarat police may nab them if the bike is brought back,” said Dharmendra Sharma, superintendent of Chhota Udepur police.
Another senior official said that the gangs over a period of time steals these bikes from different parts of the state and bring them to Chhota Udepur. To ensure that they are not caught, the gangs hide these bikes in forests and remote areas close to the Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh border.
“Once a good number of bikes are accumulated, they move them to Madhya Pradesh,” the official said.