Karwar: A man has been arrested by the Ankola police for allegedly stealing bikes from several districts.
The arrested accused has been identified as Arafat Attar (30) a native of Haveri. According to sources, he was a smooth talker, who stole bikes by persuading the owners to test-drive them before fleeing the scene.
He had trapped a young man from Manjuguni in the taluk last month and stole his KTM bike in front of a bike store in Baleguli. Police informed that after test-driving the bike and claiming that he intended to buy one like it, he took off with it. The man filed a complaint at the Ankola Police Station after the motorbike was not returned. Police were able to identify and capture the accused using the CCTV footage.
The accused lived in Belthangadi and Upponi in Honnavar and worked as a mason, informed the police. He resorted to bike and mobile theft to support his lavish lifestyle.
Recently, he also stole a Duke bike from Ankola, which was found in Chikkamagaluru. The accused left the stolen Duke bike in Chikkamagaluru after stealing the bike of an Andhra Pradesh tourist. The Andhra registered bike has now been confiscated.
With this, the accused’s thefts in several parts of the state, including Chitradurga, Hubballi, Ankola, Koppal, Kakati, and Chikkamagaluru, have come to light.
