2-wheeler gang busted,six held

Pankaj,a resident of Khuda Lahora,Chandigarh,and Iqbal,a resident of Kharar,Mohali came in contact with Gurpreet Singh,a mechanic,to learn the technique of breaking locks of two-wheelers. The duo,both in their mid-twenties,used a L-shaped key,given by the mechanic,to break open the locks and steal motor bikes.

They were helped by Sagar,a labourer and resident of Amritsar,and Anupam,resident of Kangra,Himachal Pradesh.

While Pankaj and Sagar are from the same village in Amritsar,Anupam is the elder brother-in-law of Pankaj. Sagar and Anupam used to sell the stolen vehicles in Himachal Pradesh.

The duo used to convince buyers by stating that the vehicles were the ones whose installments were unpaid and have been recovered by the companies. Sagar and Anupam used to pose as representatives of the companies.

Pankaj,Iqbal and Gurpreet used to steal two-wheelers along with Mukesh,a local florist and resident of Khuda Lahora,Chandigarh.

“Mukesh Pandey (25) was a drug addict. Pankaj and Iqbal belong to lower middles-class families and wanted to impress their female colleagues by purchasing swanky mobile phones and lavishing money on them in discotheques and parties. So they got in touch with Gurpreet and started stealing two-wheelers,” Gurmukh Singh,Station House Officer (SHO) of Sector 11 police station,said.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Des Raj said they recovered 21 two-wheelers of different makes.

“The local police arrested Mukesh on September 21 after they got a tip off. He was riding a motorcycle stolen from Sector 24,Chandigarh,” Des Raj said.

During interrogation,Mukesh confessed to stealing two-wheelers and selling them in Punjab,Himachal,Jammu and Kashmir through Sagar and Anupam.