The city police have arrested three suspects including a railway employee who stole more than 100 bikes parked on the roadside over the last two years from Vepery and Purasawalkam. They made money by dismantling the bikes and selling the parts in shops trading two-wheeler spares.
Following a series of complaints, Vepery police installed CCTV cameras and mounted surveillance. On Sunday, a man moving in a suspicious manner was nabbed by the police. An enquiry revealed the suspect, identified as Samuvel, was using a stolen bike.
Based on his confession, police arrested Tamilvanan,47, a railway employee of Thirumazhisai. While he was returning home after 10 p.m, he used to steal a bike everyday. Later they took the bikes to a mechanic shop and dismantled them. They disposed the spare parts to shops which sell spares besides sending unused materials to a scrap dealer, Shanmugam, of Avadi. They also recovered 20 stolen bikes and number plates of dismantled vehicles from them.
