KOCHI: The police on the trail of a stolen sports bicycle seem to have stuck midway, clueless about what road to take next. Though the police have arrested the person who stole it from a flat in Aluva last week, they are still groping in the dark to trace the Rs 40,000-worth bicycle -- the crucial evidence in the case. The accused had allegedly sold it to an unknown person and the police now pin hope on his ‘memory’ and help from social media to track down the ‘buyer’.
Interestingly, the accused had sold the bicycle for just around Rs 2,000. The Aluva police had arrested Ajay Kumar, 37, of Kolenchery, on Friday based on the evidence gathered from CCTV visuals. Though they launched a probe to trace the bicycle based on the statement of the accused, they could not make further headway as the bicycle was handed over in an area in Aluva where there were no CCTV cameras.
“In almost all cases, the material evidence can be traced easily if the accused is taken into custody. But here, we haven’t been able to get a solid clue to trace the bicycle. It’s crucial to prove that the accused is guilty of the crime. The changing statements of the accused also pose a major challenge,” said a police officer.
The accused had stolen the bicycle after intruding into the flat near Aluva. “The complainant had kept the bicycle on the verandah of the flat. Based on the CCTV visuals, they found that it was stolen. Since the accused had committed several crimes earlier, it was not a herculean task for the police to track him down,” the officer said. The officer said he sold the cycle for around Rs 2,000 thinking it to be a normal one. “The person who got the offer didn’t give a second thought to buy it,” the officer said.“The effort that we took to trace the accused would go in vain if we cannot find the cycle,” the officer added.