Cachar AIUDF leader among eight held for bike theft

Silchar: Eight persons, including an AIUDF leader, have been arrested in Cachar in connection with the theft of scooters and motorbikes. Police have recovered 21 stolen two-wheelers, 12 motorbikes and nine scooters, from their possession. A senior police official said a raid was launched in Silchar Rangpur, Banshkandi and Udharband areas of the district on Wednesday night and the eight people picked up for stealing the two-wheelers from different parts of Cachar district over the past few months. Nanda Babu Singh (60), a senior leader of the AIUDF, who fought the state polls from Udharband constituency in 2011, is among the arrested persons. He is allegedly a member of the interstate bike-stealing gang. Nanda Babu is a resident of Rangpur near Silchar from where he was rounded up by police. SP (Cachar) Numal Mahatta said the accused were involved in an interstate two-wheeler theft ring. They also have associates in neighbouring states, including Mizoram and Manipur. It is being investigated whether they have connections outside the country or abroad. A number of “master keys” used for unlocking the two-wheelers, including number plates and other accessories, used in the theft were seized from the suspects during the raid.A court in Silchar sent the arrested persons in three-day police remand.Sources said the arrested AIUDF leader, who once served in the Army and later worked in the Central Bank of India, has a major role in the interstate gang of two-wheeler lifters. The stolen vehicles were hidden in different places under Singh’s supervision. They were then smuggled to their associates in Mizoram and Manipur.

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