Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), May 24 (IANS): In a bizarre incident, a thief has been arrested because he followed a particular dress code while committing thefts.

Vivek Kumar Pal, 22, the mastermind of a gang of thieves, wore casuals while lifting a bike from a market and opted for white shirt and black trousers while picking up a vehicle from court premises.

The white shirt-black trouser was apparently worn to enable him to mingle with other lawyers on the campus.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Colonelganj) Ajit Singh Chauhan said, "The gang leader Vivek Kumar Pal believed in having the perfect look for executing a crime so that the possibility of arousing suspicion is minimal."

The deputy SP further said, "He used to wear suitable casuals for picking up a bike from outside a market, coaching institute, hospital, or office and donned white shirt and black trousers for theft in court premises, all to avoid suspicion."

"Pal has been arrested for the second time for auto lifting. He was earlier arrested in 2021 from Naini on the same charges," he added.

During questioning, Pal claimed he started auto lifting to fulfil the demands of his girlfriend.

Pal claimed that he started auto lifting in 2020 during the pandemic and used to steal bikes and other two-wheelers from Kydganj, Civil Lines and Colonelganj and sold them in trans-Ganga and -Yamuna pockets with forged documents.

Police also seized 24 stolen bikes worth Rs 20 lakh from the gang, six of whom have been arrested.

Pal is a graduate and has done B.Sc. He in fact recruited auto lifters senior to him in his gang after finding that they have better ideas for selling stolen vehicles.

The other arrested gang members have been identified as Indra Bahadur Pal, Vijay Kumar Bind, Arjun Singh, Manish Kumar and Dharmendra Kumar.