Bike thief\'s helmet helped cops nab him

Hyderabad: Shaik Riyazuddin, the Gulf returnee from Kamareddy who was arrested for bike theft on Sunday, could be easily tracked because he wore a pink helmet which also he had stolen, police sources said.

Police said that after stealing a bike from near Sangeet crossroads in Secunderabad, a few days ago, Riyazuddin wore the helmet he found on the bike and drove to Kamareddy to sell it. When police began looking at CCTV footage after receiving a complaint, police could easily track him due to the distinctive colour of the helmet, sources said. This is not so in other cases where tracking is difficult.

Police retrieved CCTV footage from two toll plazas on the highway and around 30 CCTV cameras over 100 km from Secunderabad to Kamareddy. Using the clues, they nabbed him and recovered ten stolen bikes.

Inquiries revealed that while in the Gulf, Riyazuddin had a paralytic attack and he had spent his savings on his treatment. As he had no one to care for him in the Gulf, he returned home. As he was in a financial crisis, his friends contributed for his return home.

Once in the city, he could not find a living, forcing him to borrow money from relatives and friends to run his family. Police said he had used the money from the sale of stolen bikes to clear some debts and to pay home bills.