By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Dec. 9: Last year, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) detained 14 people for stealing motorcycles from different public places in the Kathmandu Valley.
A special team of the Victim Relief Unit of the Division has been conducting a special operation to search for the lost and stolen vehicles from various places in the Valley.
So far in the process, 14 have been arrested while 85 stolen motorcycles have been recovered and handed over to the concerned owners during the search operation.
Chief of the Division and Senior Superintendent of Police Janak Bhattarai said that a covert team dressed in plain clothes was deployed to search for the stolen motorcycles.
He said that most of the lost motorcycles stolen from the Kathmandu Valley were found in the rural settlements outside the Valley.
On Monday, the MTPD arrested Sujan Tamang, 25, of Timal village in Kavre district from Dholahiti of Lalitpur district, along with a Pulsar motorcycle bearing real engine number 3-02-001P9041 and with registration number Province 3-02-003P 6506.
The motorcycle was stolen from Setopul in Kathmandu only 10 days ago.
Statistics show that motorcycles parked in public and private spaces are frequently being stolen. According to SSP Bhattarai, the number of thefts has been increasing due to non-adoption of additional locks and security measures by the vehicle owners.
He said that the motorcycles were stolen, bought and sold in the Kathmandu Valley. Such motorcycles are identified and seized after paying attention to some changes, the department said. For instance, as per Traffic Police Inspector Jitesh Dahal the real numbers of most of the stolen motorcycles are changed and some of the seized motorcycles have fake blue books.
He, further, said "In some cases, the rider did not even know that the motorcycle he was riding was stolen one.”