Moorthi (37), of Vadamadurai near Thudiyalur, was arrested by the city police on Saturday as he was caught stealing a moped owned by Rajendran, that the latter parked in front of a jewellery outlet on the 100 Feet Road on Saturday.
Police sources said that Moorthi was arrested in October last year and over 40 mopeds had been recovered from him at that time.
He was released on bail a few weeks ago and he continued stealing mopeds and sold them for Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 10,000 a vehicle.
The police said that he targeted mopeds as these could be easily stolen compared to other vehicles. They added that he also did not know to ride geared vehicles. Police recovered five mopeds from him – which he stole after his release on bail.