India, Feb. 5 -- Busting an organised vehicle theft racket, the Navi Mumbai police have arrested four people and recovered 21 motorcycles and five autorikshaws worth a total of Rs.40.46 lakh. The arrests are linked to over 23 cases of vehicle theft reported in Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Mumbai.

According to the police, the accused have been identified as Santosh Dhole, 45, who claimed to be a vehicle recovery agent, Laxman Masalkar, 34, who operated a vehicle service centre, Sanjeev Saxena, 52, who was engaged in selling vegetables, and Kailas Chaudhary, 38, a shopkeeper. The police said that the gang leader, Dhole, watched social media videos and taught himself the techniques to steal vehicles.

Dhole would coordinate the theft with his as...