Ahmedabad police have arrested three people, including an alleged repeat vehicle thief accused of stealing 11 Hero Splendor motorcycles in two and a half months, before a planned theft operation around Navratri garba venues in the city’s SSG Highway and Sarkhej areas. The arrests were made by the Zone-7 Local Crime Branch, according to a report by Nav Gujarat Samay – Ahmedabad.
The main accused was identified as Bipin Parmar of Wadhwan. Police said he had previously been involved in 23 vehicle thefts across Changodar, Bavla, Sarkhej, Sola and Surendranagar, and had served a preventive detention term under the PASA law before returning to the city. Investigators said he then allegedly stole 11 more motorcycles, all of them Hero Splendor bikes, within about two and a half months.
Police also arrested two alleged receivers, Arkan Malek and Sahilkhan Maniyar, both residents of Fatewadi. According to the report, the two men told investigators that they bought the stolen motorcycles for between Rs 10,000 and Rs 12,000 and intended to sell them in Madhya Pradesh. The report did not specify the recovery status of all 11 motorcycles.
The alleged thefts took place in Surendranagar, Sarkhej, Changodar and Bopal. Police said the group was preparing to steal more motorcycles during Navratri, when large numbers of people were expected to visit high-profile garba events in and around Sarkhej. The concentration of vehicles near event venues had made the locations potential targets for organised theft, the report said.
The operation was led by a team working under Local Crime Branch police sub-inspector H.D. Vaghela. Police said the arrests were made before the alleged Navratri plan could be carried out, and that questioning of the three accused was continuing.
The case highlights the security challenge created when large public events concentrate thousands of two-wheelers in temporary or crowded parking areas. The report did not provide details of the alleged theft method, the event organisers’ parking arrangements or any formal advisory issued to visitors. Further action will depend on the investigation and the recovery of the stolen vehicles.
