The Anti-Motor Vehicle Theft Cell of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch has arrested a Dongri resident for allegedly importing Chinese scooters in parts, assembling them and then using them with fake number plates without registering them with the Regional Transport Office.
A separate investigation has also been launched into a possible racket with a similar modus operandi, after six more Chinese motorbikes were subsequently seized from a different group of people in Musafirkhana.
According to Crime Branch officials, the Cell received a tip-off about illegal imported bikes being used by a person in Dongri. Inquiries led the police to Amjad Mohammed Bakali (38), a businessman who deals in imported electronic toys.
“Bakali imports toys by the container regularly, which come from China by sea. Over a series of shipments, Bakali ordered parts of two Chinese scooters and assembled them in Mumbai with the help of a local mechanic. Instead of them registering them with the RTO, he installed fake number plates on the bikes and started using them,” said a Crime Branch officer.
Bakali was arrested on Saturday evening and charged with cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code. His interrogation, along with further inquiries in Dongri, led to the discovery of six more two wheelers, which include two fuel-run motorbikes, two battery-run motorbikes and two four-wheeled all-terrain bikes, also known as quad bikes.
The police said the six vehicles were seized from Musafirkhana from a group of locals, who are now under the scanner.
“Importing bikes in parts is not a crime, as long as customs duty is paid while importing them. This is one aspect that we are ascertaining. We are also investigating whether the people from whom the six bikes were seized, also intended to similarly evade registration duty by using fake number plates. We have received the court’s permission to probe the matter further before registering a case in the matter,” another officer said.
The police have seized six more Chinese bikes, which were assembled here
