BENGALURU: How far would a young man go to impress his girlfriend? Beg, borrow or steal? The Koramangala police arrested a youth last week, who chose the last option. Police say that over the course of three months, Karthik (25) had stolen at least eight Bajaj Pulsar motorcycles to take his girlfriend on long rides which she loved.
Karthik, who hails from a poor family in Bommanahalli, fell in love with Ramya (name changed). Just few weeks into the affair, Karthik, who already had a few two-wheeler theft and other petty cases against him, realised his girlfriend is very fond of long drives. According to police, Karthik wanted to ‘prove’ his mettle and joined a bike service station in Hosapalya where he felt he could get easy access to vehicles,”
Meanwhile, Ramya reportedly expressed to Karthik that she loves to go on long rides only on Pulsar bikes and her favourite colour was black.
“Karthik, who was used to stealing bikes, now started looking for only new black Pulsar bikes. He would wait till someone came to the service station and then would hatch a plan and steal the bike,” police said.
When Karthik stole the first black Pulsar in Koramangala police limits three months ago, according to his first confession statement to police, Ramya told him to bring a new bike next time. “He then made it a habit to steal bikes. He has stolen from many parking lots too. All of them were new Pulsar bikes,” said the investigating officer.
For nearly three months, police were baffled when they got reports of two-wheeler thefts in Koramangala and nearby areas in which the vehicles would be found abandoned and with empty fuel tanks instead of being sold in toto or for parts. They then started looking for the offender, but since the man didn’t sell any of the stolen bikes, it was difficult to trace him.
After finding Pulsar motorcycles being abandoned, police came to the conclusion that there was someone who operated differently from others, and thus, tried a different tack themselves. Last week, the cops got a tip-off about a man abandoning a black Pulsar bike near Koramangala area. The CCTV camera images from the area showed him roaming on the bike with a girl after which he parked the vehicle near a parking lot and left from there. The Kormangala police later identified him as Karthik and arrested him last week.
Karthik later confessed to the crime. The couple has travelled to many places on the outskirts of the city. However, when the girl was questioned by police, she claimed innocence and said Karthik always told her that it was a friend’s bike and he had got it from them to take her on a long ride. He has been sent to judicial custody on Thursday.