Mumbai: BMC sweeper truck footage helps crack Vikhroli bike theft case

The accused in the custody of police. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

A bike theft case in Vikhroli was solved thanks to an unexpected source - a BMC e-street sweeping vehicle equipped with a CCTV camera. The camera captured the pillion rider as the stolen two-wheeler sped past. Using the footage, police identified the registration number of the scooter the accused had used to arrive at the crime scene. This crucial lead led to the arrest of the suspects and the recovery of the stolen vehicle.

The incident took place on April 4, when the complainant, Swapnil Bhabude, 40, a resident of Gawanpada in Mulund, was travelling on his motorcycle. After dropping his mother at their old house in Dadar, he was on his way back home to Mulund via the Eastern Express Highway. As he neared Bhandup, he received a phone call.

The civic body's cleaning van. File Pic/Nimesh Dave

"The complainant wanted to avoid taking the call while riding, so he pulled over to the side of the road. At that moment, two individuals on an Activa scooter approached and picked a fight over allegedly being overtaken, which soon escalated into a physical altercation," said a police officer involved in the investigation. The duo then demanded Bhabude's phone under the pretext of making a call, but refused to return it. They continued to pressure him for monetary compensation.

When Bhabude refused to meet their demands, the duo damaged his bike's number plate and physically assaulted him, pushing him to the ground. They then fled with his mobile phone and motorcycle. Despite the attack, Bhabude managed to reach Vikhroli police station and report the incident. An FIR was registered against two unidentified individuals.

During the investigation, police initially struggled to identify the accused, as none of the CCTV cameras in or around the crime scene had captured useful footage. However, while recounting the incident in detail, the victim vividly recalled seeing BMC e-street sweeping vehicles operating on both sides of the Eastern Express Highway at the time of the crime.

Police promptly contacted the relevant authorities and the drivers who were on duty at the time. To their surprise, one of the e-street sweeping vehicles was equipped with a built-in CCTV camera that had captured the entire sequence of events, along with clear images of the accused.

Using the CCTV footage, police circulated the images of the suspects through their network of informants and also traced the Activa scooter seen in the video. The investigation led them to the Panchpakhadi area in Thane, where the two suspects were located. Both were arrested at their residences, and the stolen mobile phone and motorcycle were recovered.

According to API Girish Gaikwad, the investigating officer, the accused have been identified as Vedant Yeram, 23, and Kunal Sonar, 23, who are close friends. Preliminary inquiries revealed that financial distress was the motive behind the crime.