Kathmandu, December 27

Police have busted a motorcycle-lifting racket with the arrest of its 12 members from different places of Kathmandu valley.

According to Metropolitan Police Range, the gang is long involved in lifting motorcycles for sale in and outside the valley. MPR said they were taken into custody separately over a period of four weeks. Those arrested are Madan Kumar Moktan, Sandesh Gole, Som Sunar, Ganesh Lama, Rikjen Moktan, Sadeep Gurung, Bharat Thapa Chhetri, Indra Bahadur Tamang, Bikram Bhujel, Raju Paudel, Sabin Tamang and Samit Tamang. They hail from Dhading, Makwanpur, Sindhupalchowk, Kavre and Nuwakot districts and are in age group of 20-30.

Three persons, including Madan Kumar were held with a stolen motorcycle (Ba 94 Pa 1142) from Kirtipur, and further investigation led to the arrest of nine others. Police have confiscated 40 stolen bikes from them. DSP Hobindra Bogati, MPR spokesperson, said it was the single biggest seizure of two-wheelers lifted by the racketeers. They had lifted the vehicles from Kirtipur, Balambu, Satungal, Kalimati, Pharping and Bafal areas of Kathmandu.

The gang would lift the bikes from the valley and rode the two-wheelers to other districts for sale. Racketeers are found selling a stolen bike for Rs 20,000 to Rs 100,000 depending on its condition and brand.

Most two-wheelers lifted from the city were sold to clients in rural parts that have road networks but lack presence of law enforcement officials. Victim Support Unit at Metropolitan Traffic Police Division registered a total of 1,093 complaints of bike theft in the past eight months (mid-April to mid-December). However, only 118 of them were recovered during the period.

Police have suggested the bike owners to park their bikes at safe places with handles locked and also to install intelligent locking system with double lock options, making it difficult for thieves to steal bikes.