Pokhara, January 12:

Two persons were arrested from different parts of Pokhara on the charge of stealing motorcycles and smuggling them out of the district.

A police team of district police office, Kaski, nabbed Mahendra Marasini, 25, of Tanahun from Amar Singh Chowk, who was on the run after stealing a motorcycle on January 8. The thieves used to whisk the motorcycles from parking lots.

Similarly, Mohan Shrestha, 50, of Nawalparasi was also arrested. SP Subas Chandra Chaudhary said that a nine-member team was formed to control the increasing theft of the two-wheelers and was mobilised in Kaski, Nawalparasi and Tanahun. He said that 88 stolen cases of the two-wheelers had been registered within the last six months. The police have recovered 51 of them.

Chaudhary said that 10 of the recovered motorcycles had already been handed over to the rightful owners. He claimed motorcycle thefts were on the decline since the past week.