Kalyan: Man held for stealing auto-rickshaws to fund drug habit, three vehicles recovered

Police are acting to curb auto-rickshaw thefts in Kalyan city. Mahatma Phule police have arrested a man accused of stealing auto-rickshaws. The accused is Sagar Rathod. Three stolen auto-rickshaws have been recovered from him. Police reached the bottom of the case with the help of CCTV footage.

Police said Rathod lives in the Netivali area of Kalyan. He had fallen into drug addiction. He needed money to buy drugs, and the investigation has found that this was why he stole auto-rickshaws.

After stealing them, Rathod would use the same auto-rickshaws for long-distance rides. When he felt the theft could be discovered, he would park the vehicle somewhere and leave. He would then try to steal another auto-rickshaw. The investigation has found that he was trying to evade police in this way.

However, his movements were captured on CCTV cameras, and police found an important clue. The camera recordings became the biggest link in the case. On the basis of this footage, a team from Mahatma Phule police station stepped up the investigation, and Rathod was then arrested.

Police have recovered three stolen auto-rickshaws from him. The action has helped police solve the auto-rickshaw theft case. The investigation has also made his method clear: he would abandon the stolen auto-rickshaws after riding them over long distances.

The operation was led by Senior Police Inspector Balramsing Pardeshi of Mahatma Phule police station. Police officer Vikas Madke and his team carried it out. Further investigation is under way. Police are trying to find out whether the accused has stolen more auto-rickshaws and whether anyone else was involved in these thefts.