Nineteen-year-old used to approach people selling high-end bikes online and disappear with the vehicle on the pretext of a trial ride
Arif Khan
The Charkop police have arrested a teenager who allegedly duped several people across the city of their expensive bikes. Arif Vakil Khan's modus operandi was to approach people who put up their bikes for sale online and flee with the vehicle on the pretext of taking it for a trial spin. A few days later he would sell the bike and once the deal and price was finalised, he would once again escape with the vehicle on the pretext of a last spin.
The officials have recovered five high-end bikes, including Kawasaki Ninja, KTM, and KTM duke from his possession. Khan, 19, is a resident of Ghatkopar West. Police sources said a case of cheating was registered last month at Charkop by a complainant who had put up his Ninja Kawasaki bike for sale on a well-known website. Khan approached him and when the deal was finalised, he escaped with the bike on the pretext of a trial ride. The complainant waited a few hours and kept calling Khan's number and finally approaced the police, a police officer said.
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The bikes Arif Khan stole
Under the guidance of senior inspector Vitthal Shinde, detection officer API Nilesh Shinde and A Chavan began the probe. They took the help of informers and, on August 2, caught him from Renuka Nagar area where he had come to sell a KTM bike. During interrogation, Khan confessed to several similar crimes in the Kala Chowky, Versova and DN Nagar areas in the past couple of months. Police have recovered five bikes from his possession, which were parked in various parking lots in Ghatkopar and nearby localities.
"We have arrested Khan under Section 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC. He was produced in a court and remanded in police custody," said Shinde from Charkop police station.
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