BENGALURU: The Madiwala police have arrested a youth on charges of stealing cars and bikes. Shiva alias Shivalinga (24), a resident of LR Nagar at Adugodi, was arrested on Wednesday.
Police also learnt that Shiva was involved in a string of vehicle thefts across the city, including six cases in Madiwala and one each in Mico Layout, Tilak Nagar, Adugodi and Koramangala. Nine vehicles and three two-wheelers worth `25 lakh have been recovered from the accused.
Modus Operandi
Shiva told the police that he used to do a recce and identify cars that could be stolen. Mostly, he would identify cars that were parked in front of residences for a long time. He would then contact his associates Murugesh and Suresh, both from Tamil Nadu. They would break into the vehicles using duplicate keys or by breaking the windshield, and move them to Coimbatore.
There, the registration and chassis number of the vehicle would be changed and sold to unsuspecting customers. Police have obtained details of Murugesh and Suresh, who are absconding, and have launched a hunt for them.