A gang of three people, including a woman involved in stealing two-wheelers and mobile phones, has been arrested by the Malleswaram police. Police have recovered three scooters and three mobile phones from them.
The suspects are Murugan, 25, of Ambedkar Nagar in Srirampura; his female friend Yasmeen, 18, of Saraipalya near Thanisandra; and Murali, 23, of Mathikere.
According to the police, Murugan is a habitual offender and was earlier arrested by the Malleswaram police in 2021. Police recovered 12 two-wheelers from them. Last year, he was arrested by the Upparpet police and he later got bail.
Murugan and Yasmeen would sell off stolen scooters and mobile phones with the help of Murali. They got Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 for each scooter and spent most of the money on partying.
Murugan befriended Yasmeen who had lost her parents and was raised in a madrasa, through a cousin. He developed a closeness with her and trained her to steal two-wheelers using spare keys. Murugan collected two-wheeler keys and gave them to Yasmeen. He took her to some residential and commercial areas at night and asked her to steal scooters.
Yasmeen used to sit on scooters and open their locks by trying multiple keys. Once the lock was opened, she used to start the vehicle and ride off. She had stolen all three scooters and was arrested for the first time.
Yasmeen and Murugan also stole mobile phones by borrowing them from their owners on the pretext of making phone calls.