Pune: A spate of battery thefts from goods transport vehicles parked at night in the Narayangaon and Alephata areas has ended with the arrest of a suspect by the Local Crime Branch (LCB). The accused, identified as Ketan Rohidas Vidhate (24), was apprehended while attempting another theft.

The arrest was made following a detailed investigation into the thefts, during which police identified patterns in the time and locations targeted. On January 15, acting on a tip-off about Vidhate’s presence on Kolhewadi Road in Narayangaon, the police laid a trap and successfully apprehended him along with his car.

Upon searching the vehicle, the police recovered 28 stolen batteries, valued at ₹4,44,400. Vidhate has been linked to seven cases of theft, five of which occurred in Narayangaon and two in Alephata. The accused used his car to travel to various locations, steal batteries from parked vehicles, and transport the stolen goods.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh, Additional Superintendent of Police Ramesh Chopde, and Sub-Divisional Police Officer Ravindra Chaudhar.

The team included Local Crime Investigation Branch Inspector Avinash Shilimkar, Alephata Police Station Inspector Dinesh Tayde, and Narayangaon Police Assistant Inspector Mahadev Shelar, along with personnel Deepak Sable, Sandeep Ware, Akshay Navale, Vikram Tapkir, Raju Momin, Atul Dere, Mangesh Thigale, and Nilesh Supekar. The police have handed over Vidhate to the Narayangaon Police for further interrogation.