Two youths from Changunarayan Municipality-2, Duwakot have been arrested for their alleged involvement in stealing a motorbike and running it by using a fake number plate.

Police arrested Manaraj Tamang, 20, of Kavrepalanchok and Anil Tamang, 21, of Rammechhap on Wednesday.

A team deployed by Metropolitan Police Beat, Thimi during a random check found that the motorcycle bearing number plate BA 86 PA 1450 did not have any documentation. “Upon interrogation, it came to light that they had stolen the bike from Anamnagar area and the actual number plate of the bike was BA 92 PA 2371,” said Deputy Superintendent Shantiraj Koirala, chief at Metropolitan Police Beat, Thimi.

“The arrested persons were taken to Metropolitan Police Beat, Singha Durbar on Thursday for further investigations,” said Koirala.

The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division receives hundreds of complaints of vehicle theft every year. During the first four months of the current fiscal year, it received 554 complaints of vehicle theft. However, the department could recover only 118 stolen vehicles and duly returned them to their respective owners.

According to the data from the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, the number of vehicle thefts is rising every year. The data also show that the recovery rate of stolen vehicles as well as the arrest rates are quite low.

In the fiscal year 2016-17, the division recorded 1,030 cases of vehicle theft. Police recovered only 168 of those stolen vehicles and arrested 15 people.

In the following fiscal year, the number of vehicle theft cases stood at 1,385. Police recovered only 251 of them and managed to arrest 17 people.

Similarly, in the last fiscal year there were 1,611 incidents of vehicle theft; 189 vehicles were recovered and 81 people were arrested.

“After stealing the bikes, the thieves either sell their parts or sell them in the rural areas where the presence of law enforcement officials is low. However, we sometimes conduct surprise checks in the rural areas too,” said DSP Koirala.