The police today claimed to have busted an inter-state motorbike lifting gang following the arrest 13 persons from different parts of Jharkhand.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Amol V Homkar said 23 stolen motorbikes were recovered from East Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharswan and Lohardaga districts.
Of the 23 motorcycles, eight were recovered from Lohardaga.
Homkar said a special police team was formed following spurt in the motorcycle theft during the last three months in and around the city.
Acting on a tip-off, the team arrested the kingpin of the gang, 20-year-old Ajit Das, from Birsanagar here last night and recovered a stolen motorbike from his possession.
His interrogation led to the arrest all the other accused and recovery of 22 more stolen motorcycles.
About the gang's modus operandi, Homkar said, after the gang members lift motorbikes from busy market places of Sakchi, Bistupur and Telco areas, Das used to send them to Patamda, where a mechanic Khokan Gorai would change their colour and parts.
Then Bablu Lohar of Lohardaga would sell them with forged documents made by Gorai in various districts of the state as well as other states.
None of the arrested gang members who were mostly in their mid-20s, have any criminal background.
Homkar said further raids were still on and more stolen motorbikes would be recovered soon.
This was the fourth inter-state gang busted by the district police during the last six month period, he added.
"We will investigate all angles," Homkar said when asked whether there was possibility of nexus between the gang and staff of the District Transport Office in preparing the forged documents.
