Mechanic, who was caught red-handed in January, has been arrested for the second time this year for stealing bikes, only this time it is without an accomplice
Khijar identified damaged vehicles up for sale at other garages and obtained their original documents. He cut out the engine and chassis numbers using a gas cutter. Illustrations/Uday Mohite
Old habits die hard, just ask Khijar Hayat Nazir Sayyed. The 24-year-old has been arrested for the second time this year for stealing bikes, only this time it is without an accomplice. Khijar was earlier arrested with an associate in January. After coming out on bail in April, he changed his modus operandi by becoming tech-savvy and operating alone. He would steal bikes, replace its engine and chassis number and sell them online.
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He then fixed these numbers on the stolen vehicle's engine and chassis. Then, he made proper documents for this modified vehicle
Khijar attracted suspicion of the cops on September 20, when around 2 am, a patrolling van noticed him working on the wires of a bike near Bata junction in Grant Road. Cops observed him for a while only to realise that he was trying to start the bike without keys. Just when he got successful, the van got in his way to stop him. They interrogated him and felt he was up to something. A cop got down from the van, grabbed his collar, and sought the truth from him. When the cops were convinced he was hiding something, Khijar was taken to the DB Marg police station, where some officers recognized him.
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Khijar would then put up these stolen bikes for sale on a website. Cops have recovered four bikes from him
Grew up around vehicles
“We had arrested him in January for stealing bikes. Court sent him to judicial custody. After 3 months, he came out on bail, and went back to his old ways,” said an officer from DB Marg police station.
Khijar’s father is a mechanic. They used to live in Agripada and had garage in Byculla. He grew up around vehicles. He knows every minute detail of every bike. Starting bike without keys was a 2-minute job for him. When we caught him the last time, he was working with an associate Imran Ansari. But, he thought working together was the reason he got caught.”
Read Story: Mumbai crime: Motor mechanic held for stealing 32 bikes, 4 cars
New Modus Operandi
After being let out on bail, Khijar started stealing bikes on his own. He started asking colleagues about damaged vehicles that came in for being sold. After securing original documents of damaged vehicles, he used to rip off the engine-chassis number by using a gas cutter and fix them on stolen vehicle. Then, he would make ‘proper’ documents for the modified bike. “He uploaded pictures of these ‘modified’ vehicles online. But before he started making easy money, he was caught,” said Pandurang Shinde, senior PI of DB Marg police station.
After the arrest, Khijar was continuously probed by cops, who managed to recover four bikes from him.
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