This came to light after the Dahod police busted a gang of thieves following an unusual spurt in bike thefts in the region, and that too of one particular brand. As many as 20 bike thefts have been reported in the district in June 2009, of which 18 were Hero Honda Passion, according to the Local Crime Branch of Dahod police.

LCB Inspector B N Desai said the interrogation of one Ramesh Baria, a resident of Garbada, last month, who was caught by the residents while trying to steal a bike in Dahod, unearthed the racket. “The bikes are dismantled in Dahod, while the engine is sent to Ratlam and other areas where it is converted into a diesel engine by making minor modification, which serves the purpose of irrigation. The rest is sold off as spares,” Desai said.

He said the engines are used as pumps to irrigate the fields in the district which faces severe water crises throughout the year except during the kharif season.

Dahod Superintendent of Police Vipul Aggarwal said the motorcycle parts are taken to Madhya Pradesh to evade chances of detection.

He now plans to write to the manufacturers to make some modification so that the engines are rendered ineffective for use as irrigation pumps. “We plan to write to the manufacturers to make some modification in the engine design so that these bikes are not stolen,” added Aggarwal.

He said he held a meeting with senior officers of the district, adding that the farmers will now be asked to avoid using stolen pump engines for irrigation purposes.

Interestingly, the District Watershed Development Unit (DWDU), which plays an important role in the allocation of water resources in the district, has no clue about the practice of using stolen engines as irrigation pumps. But it admits that motorcycle engines could be used by the farmers as many of them operate monoblock pumps.

DWDU Project Manager M R Gujjar said: “We are unaware of such practices by farmers in Dahod, but motorcycle engines could be clubbed together with monoblock pumps.”

Farmers in Dahod face acute water shortage as many reservoirs have dried up, while there is increased dependence on the rain.

The state as well as the Centre has reportedly launched many schemes to boost up water supply for the tribal-dominated district, but due to its proximity to the border, even schemes launched with the best intention fail due to the highhandedness of local criminals.