The bike thief was later arrested from near the Bandra-Worli Sea Link after a two-hour chase. (Sasikumar) The bike thief was later arrested from near the Bandra-Worli Sea Link after a two-hour chase. (Sasikumar) In a bid to escape from the police, a 19-year-old suspected motorcycle thief on Thursday jumped into the sea at Worli, only to be caught by local fishermen who chased him in a boat. He was later arrested from near the Bandra-Worli Sea Link after a two-hour chase. The accused has been identified as Vigneshwar Vijay Jadhav, a resident of Shivaji Nagar in Worli. Police said under the influence of drugs, Jadhav had been stealing motorcycles for joy rides for about four months. “He recently stole a watch and a purse from a residence in Worli, following which, a woman lodged a complaint at the police station,” a Worli police station officer said. Investigators said they had received a tip-off about a youth, who had allegedly been stealing bikes and valuables in the Worli police station area. “We showed her (complainant) a picture of the suspect… Following this, two constables were dispatched to Mahakali Nagar in Worli to arrest the accused. As the constables saw him, they called out his name… On seeing them, Jadhav started running,” said an officer. The two constables chased him till the Worli jetty. Since he couldn’t go any further, Jadhav jumped into the sea. The policemen then sought help from local fishermen present at the jetty. “Our staff saw a couple of fishermen nearby, and asked them for help. After they agreed, the fishermen started to chase Jadhav in their boat… Jadhav had almost reached the Bandra-Worli Sea Link when they caught up with him,” said an officer. He added: “Initially, he wasn’t ready to get into the boat, but the fishermen told him that they had come to help him, as they feared that he would drown. Jadhav, who was tired by then, climbed into the boat. He was then brought to the Worli jetty and handed over to the constables,” the officer added. The whole process took two hours, said the police. During interrogation, Jadhav told the police that he was fond of riding motorcycles and as he could not afford to buy one, he decided to steal a bike and ride till its fuel tank was emptied. “Jadhav would then ride another bike, till another bike’s fuel was emptied. He would leave the bikes anywhere on the road,” said Inspector Jitendra Pawar of Worli police. The police said nine motorcycles have been recovered from Jadhav, who couldn’t say how many he had stolen. “Jadhav said he would first break the handle lock of the bikes… and then start the bike after connecting two wires,” said an officer. Jadhav has been booked under Section 379 (punishment for theft) of the IPC. He was later handed over to Bhoiwada police, which is conducting an investigation on motorcycles stolen from its jurisdiction. For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App

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