Pune Crime Branch Arrests Serial Vehicle Thief, Recovers 25 Two-Wheelers

Pune, 15th February 2025: The Pune Crime Branch has apprehended a notorious vehicle thief responsible for over 50 registered cases of two-wheeler theft. Shankar Bharat Devkule, a 32-year-old resident of Uruli Devachi, was arrested in the Kolhapur District’s Ichalkaranji area after being identified through CCTV footage of a recent theft in the Parvati area.

Devkule, who had been released on bail just five months ago, resumed his criminal activities shortly after. The police have recovered 25 stolen two-wheelers from his possession, with 18 owners already identified. The thief employed a method to evade detection, removing vehicle number plates after the theft and delivering stolen vehicles to an accomplice, Aniket Sunil Kudale, a 27-year-old garage owner from Daund.

Posing as an employee of a private financial institution, Devkule justified the possession of the vehicles to Kudale, who would then sell the modified two-wheelers to unsuspecting buyers, primarily farmers in the Daund area. The duo claimed the vehicles were repossessed due to non-payment of instalments.

The arrest was the result of a coordinated effort by the Pune Crime Branch Unit 3, led by Police Inspector Rangrao Pawar. The investigation began after a two-wheeler theft in the Parvati area and involved analyzing CCTV footage to identify the suspect. Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shailesh Balkawade, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Nikhil Pingle, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime 1) Ganesh Ingle supervised the operation, which included Senior Police Inspector Rangrao Pawar, Assistant Inspector Dnyaneshwar Dhavale, and Police Constable Dnyaneshwar Chitte, who identified Devkula from CCTV footage, along with several other officers and constables.

Devkule’s modus operandi involved using duplicate keys to steal parked two-wheelers. He would then alter the chassis and engine numbers to facilitate resale. The case highlights the ongoing challenge of vehicle theft in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, with Devkule alone being linked to more than 50 such incidents. The police continue to search for the owners of the remaining recovered two-wheelers as the investigation progresses.