Engineer, accused of stealing cycles from IIT-Powai campus, arrested

A 33-year-old engineer has been arrested by the Powai police for allegedly stealing seven cycles from the IIT campus in Powai. According to the police, he had quit his job in January 2017 to pursue a PhD. “The accused’s research guide is at IIT Powai. Once, when he had gone to meet the guide, he stole a cycle from the campus and sold it on an e-commerce site. The ease with which he did this made him commit the offence again. So far, we have seized from Vikhroli, Walkeshwar, Byculla, Parel and Kopri in Thane seven cycles, all worth a total of Rs 47,000, stolen by him,” said an officer.

According to the police, a student from IIT had approached them on October 5, claiming that his high-end cycle was stolen from the campus. The officer said they had been receiving complaints of cycle theft from the IIT campus over the last few months. Based on information received about the offender, the police set up a trap at the IIT main gate on October 16.

The accused was arrested from the campus. The police sought his custody from a magisterial court and recovered the cycles.

UPDATE: The accused has informed that the matter is amicably settled by the Lokadalat held in the Metropolitan Magistrat’s Court, Andheri, Mumbai on 10 February 2018 pursuant to an application for compounding filed by the complainant.