Ahmedabad, Sep 12 (IANS): Two men from Rajasthan were arrested and a juvenile was apprehended here for stealing high-end sports bikes, said officials on Thursday.

The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch apprehended them for their involvement in an inter-state gang responsible for stealing the bikes from the city and also Gandhinagar.

The stolen bikes, valued at Rs 6,30,000, were recovered, and the accused have been handed over to the authorities.

The bikes were stolen from Chandkheda in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar Sector-7 areas.

The two arrested individuals have been identified as Ashish alias Asu Devilal Phera, a resident of Udaipur, Rajasthan; and Sunil alias Kalu Mohanlal Coated, a resident of Udaipur, Rajasthan. The juvenile in conflict with the law has also been apprehended and handed to his guardians.

The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch recovered a range of stolen sports bikes from the accused, including a red Yamaha R15 model bike valued at Rs 1,80,000, a blue Yamaha RIS model bike worth Rs 1,80,000, a grey Yamaha R15 model bike priced at Rs 1,00,000, a white and saffron KTM 125 CC motorcycle valued at Rs 1,20,000, and a black Bajaj Pulsar 220 model bike worth Rs 50,000. In total, the recovered items are valued at Rs. 6,30,000.

The arrested individuals are being investigated for their involvement in multiple bike theft cases, and further inquiries are underway to identify other members of the gang.

In January 2024, Ahmedabad Police arrested Hitesh Jain, a man accused of stealing 168 two-wheelers, not for profit but for personal joyrides. The accused would steal vehicles, drive them around for fun, and then abandon them without selling a single one.

The crime branch had seized around 30 cars during the operation, and a thorough investigation revealed that Jain had been involved in 168 two-wheeler thefts since 2015. Of these, he stole 80 and was an accomplice in 87 others. Most of the vehicles were taken from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.