Bangalore: Crime hath no motivation like a woman’s scorn

It’s a case of a youth aspiring to become a guardian of the law, but landing in bad company and then ending up as a law-breaker. A police sub-inspector’s son, who harboured hopes of becoming a sub-inspector, landed up in the world of crime and started stealing motorcycles.

A couple of weeks ago, Kalasipalya police arrested two persons, including a student from a  city college, who stole motorcycles using duplicate keys and scissors. The arrested have been identified as Harsha, 19, a resident of CRPF Quarters, Yelahanka, and Berappa, 25, a resident of Siddapura.

Harsha is the son of a Central Armed Reserve police sub-inspector Umapathi H. Harsha had a good academic record when he studied in a school in Balehonnur, Chikmagalur. Later, he came to Bangalore and his academic performance took a beating. He struck a friendship with Berappa, who introduced him to the world of crime.

Harsha also wanted to impress his girlfriends and splurged on them. Berappa told Harsha that a friend, Rajiv, had stolen motorcycles and had offered a share if they managed to sell the bikes.

Harsha, forever in need of money to spend on his girlfriends, not just accepted the offer, but even learned how to steal bikes. Later, he went on to steal 11 motorcycles from various places, including Magadi Road, Yelahanka New Town, Sheshadripuram, Wilson Garden, Kalasipalya, Sanjaynagar and Ulsoor police station limits. Meanwhile in Kalasipalya, where the duo stole two motorcycles, the police alerted mechanics and used vehicle dealers. When the duo went to sell motorcycles in Kalasipalya, the police got a tip off and arrested them. Rajiv is still at large.

Sub-inspector Sirajuddin, who is investigating the case, said the accused are first-time offenders. They targeted parking lots, malls and motorcycles parked outside houses. They struck only during daytime, he added.

They used to tell buyers that they would provide documents at a later stage and would take only `3,000 to `5,000. The accused said they would collect the rest of the amount later. Duplicate keys were used to steal motorcycles, and when the duplicate set didn’t work; they used scissors to pick locks. To avoid detection, Harsha and Berappa erased one of the digits from the registration plate before selling it.

Harsha is a first year BA (correspondence) student. He wanted to join the police after completing the course. Harsha had sold two motorcycles to his friends at the CRPF Quarters for Rs3,000 each.

He was using a stolen scooter when he was arrested. Berappa is a real estate businessman and had incurred losses after marriage. He found it difficult to make both ends meet and took to crime.  Rajiv had discounted his studies and was an alcoholic fond of using stolen bikes for joyrides.