Thieves hide stolen bikes in lake near Kolhapur

The bikes that were fished out of the lake

Criminals are always one step ahead of the law, ensuring that cops are always on their toes. The Kolhapur police, last week, chanced upon a new hideout for stolen booty when they found not one but five bikes dumped in the Rankala lake. Two fishermen, who had found something glinting underwater, had informed the police. A case of robbery has been filed at the Old Rajwada police station and they are probing the case.

Speaking to mid-day, Pappu Jadhav and Ankush Gaikwad, the two local fishermen, said, "We had gone fishing around noon at Rankala lake. The water level is low as it is summer and we saw something glinting in the water. We thought it may have been some accident and the vehicle had fallen into the lake, so we informed the fire brigade. They came and fished out five bikes and informed the cops."

Senior Inspector Anil Deshmukh of Old Rajwada police station, who is investigating the case, said, "I have seen this modus operandi for the first time in two decades in the force. Out of the five motorbikes, we were able to trace the owners of two of the bikes. The engine numbers and number plates of the other three bikes have been tampered with and destroyed. The bikes were stolen from different spots."

He said, "The thieves may have either hidden these here to sell them once the case went cold or they belong to a gang that was planning some robbery and had kept the bikes hidden under water. We are inspecting CCTV camera footage from nearby areas to get some clues."