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.