Mira Bhayandar: The central crime unit (CCU) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police arrested a notorious thief in Mira Road on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off received by police sub-inspector- Hitendra Vichare, the team under the supervision of API- Dattray Sarak laid a trap and arrested the accused identified as- Yogesh Babulal Jaiswal (39) as he was apparently conducting a recce to lift a bike near a college in the posh Kanakia area of Mira Road.

A native of Modasa town in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat, Jaiswal who was currently staying in Andheri turned out to be a habitual offender involved in a spate of bike lifting cases, break-ins, thefts and also cyber fraud in Palghar, Thane, Satara, Gujarat and Mumbai.

Notably, more than a dozen cases of thefts have been registered against Jaiswal at the Azad Nagar police station after he wreaked havoc in their jurisdiction by stealing valuables including laptops and other valuables after sneaking into government offices during lunch breaks, a few years ago.

He was later arrested by the Azad Nagar police station from Nallasopara. After getting out on bail he specialized in breaking locks of two-wheelers and started targeting bikes parked in unguarded places.

Initial investigations confirmed his involvement in 24 offences and the count may be much higher, suspect the police who have recovered three stolen bikes from the possession of the accused.

Meanwhile an offence under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), 2023 has been registered against Jaiswal who has been remanded to custody. Further investigations were underway.