Bengaluru: A screwdriver, a stone, a small blade, and less than 60 seconds. This was what Prasad Babu needed to steal two-wheelers from Bengaluru. In fact, he succeeded in scoring a century in vehicle thefts before police finally applied the brakes on his run.
A native of Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh and a mechanic-cum-auto driver, Babu, 30, had been lifting bikes in under a minute in the last three years in the tech capital, as well as Tamil Nadu and AP. Police have recovered 112 two-wheelers, including Royal Enfield bikes and scooters, from him.
“Of the bikes recovered from him, 12 were handed over to Tamil Nadu police, while 100 belonged to owners in Bengaluru, Kolar, and Andhra Pradesh,” a cop said. Interestingly, this is the first time Babu was arrested in his nearly three-year stint as a bike lifter.
“Catching a Bengaluru-bound night bus from Chittoor, he would alight in Avalahalli near KR Pura before daybreak. Then, he would roam around the residential areas. He would select places with wide roads and dim lighting. As evening drew close, he would look for two-wheelers at desolate places. Being a mechanic, he knew how to break the handle lock and ride away. Keeping a screwdriver on the edge of the handle lock joint, he would hit its head with a stone. After breaking the handle-lock, he would direct the wires, start the two-wheeler and ride away,” the officer said.
The same night, he would ride back to Chittoor and sell the vehicle at throwaway prices. For gearless scooters, he would charge Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000, while it was Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 for motorbikes. Bullets and brand-new motorbikes would get him Rs 30,000-plus. “The buyers knew they were stolen and there would be no documents,” the cop said.