How a bunch of 10-to-15-year-olds from Mumbra turned into notorious bike thieves

Representational picture

For several months now, the Mumbra Police have been at their wits' end over bikes and scooters going missing from various parts of the suburban township. But it was not until last week, after the police had tracked the real culprits behind the crime, did they realise that they were actually being hoodwinked by a gang of 10 to 15 year olds.

On Thursday, a special squad of the Thane Police apprehended nine boys for allegedly stealing bikes and recovered 27 two-wheelers of various prominent brands from them.

Incidentally, out of the nine minors nabbed by the police, seven had never been to school, Dr DS Swami, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 1, told reporters.

What has, however, rattled the force is the reason behind these minors committing the crime. "The children, all of whom hail from poor families in Mumbra, are passionate about bikes, and just wanted to ride them for fun," said KC Pasalkar, senior police inspector, Mumbra Police.

The stolen bikes and scooters recovered by the Mumbra Police. Pics/Sneha Kharabe

Case of missing bikes
According to assistant police inspector Mangesh Borse, while gangs of bike thieves operate across Mumbai and Thane, this is a first-of-its-kind involving only minors. In the last few weeks, the Mumbra Police received five cases of two-wheelers being stolen.

Acting on a tip-off, Pasalkar formed a special squad, which carried out searches in the area and nabbed nine minors. The boys, who were taken into custody, were later sent to the children's home in Bhiwandi. Borse said that the boys had initially refused to divulge any information. "We had to win their confidence, before they spilled the beans," said Borse.

When they found a bike parked in a secluded spot, the minor boys would first try to start it with a duplicate key

Modus operandi
Pasalkar said that the kids would meet late in the evening and take the train to Dombivli, Diva or Kalwa, and hunt for two-wheelers. "When they found a bike parked in a secluded spot, they would first try to start it with a duplicate key. If that didn't work, they would break the ignition, and then head to Mumbra with the bike. If the vehicle ran out of fuel, they'd just abandon it and escape. They only wanted to ride different kinds of bikes," he said. At any given point, they'd escape with at least two to three two-wheelers.

If the duplicate key failed, the boys would break the ignition, and then head to Mumbra with the bike. illustration/ravi jadhav

In this particular case, one of the accused, who is a 15-year-old, worked in a motor garage. "We suspect that this boy must have taught the others how to break the lock," said a police source. "We also recovered multiple master keys," said DCP Swamy, adding that all the boys came from Devripada and Charnipada, areas notorious for illegal activities. The minors later helped the police locate the vehicles they had abandoned. As of now, the police have recovered 27 vehicles. The police are trying to get details about the remaining vehicles from the RTO.

If the vehicle ran out of fuel, they would just abandon it and escape

Riding young
In the past, a few residents of Mumbra have complained to the police about rash driving by younger children, who didn't have a driving licence. Amjad Khan, a social activist in Mumbra, said, "Around 90 per cent of the children in Mumbra start riding bikes at the age of 12 or 13. This encourages other children to do the same. We will be sending a letter to the police to take stringent action against these kids," said Khan.

Meanwhile, parents of the accused claimed to be unaware of their kids involvement in the bike thefts. The father of a 13-year-old, who is currently at the children's home, said that he had tried his best to send his son to school. "He wasn't interested in studying and dropped out. He did odd jobs like labour work at wedding receptions or rag-picking in the night. We did not know that he stole bikes or could even ride a bike. His mother is in shock and is currently in the hospital," said the teen's father.

Cops are yet to locate the bike of Mumbra-resident Mohammed Hussain Basir, 49. Basir's bike was stolen on May 4, and he registered a complaint the following week, on May 11

The mother of another 15-year-old accused said that she had an inkling that her son was in bad company. "I met him at the children's home and when he saw me, he started crying. He has promised to become a better person," she said.

Sohil Tambe

The mothers of two 10- and 11-year-olds cousins were in denial. They said that their kids were too young to commit any kind of crime. "They have been pleading with us to get them out of the remand home," one of the mothers said.

Mangesh Borse, assistant police inspector, Mumbra Police

API Borse, however, said that the trend is disturbing. "What is most worrying is that kids as young as 10 are hand-in-glove with the older teens. They think that riding and stealing is a fun activity. They need to be rehabilitated, before they start committing bigger crimes," he said.

Also read - Mumbai crime: Thieves steal bike from under police board warning about such thefts, arrested

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