Sources from Vakola police station, who studied the CCTV footage, claim accused tricked security guard at the service centre in Kalina, Santacruz into believing that he was the car owner
A 63-year-old Andheri resident, Rekhraj Jain, received the shock of his life on Friday when he went to collect his SUV from an authorised Maruti Suzuki service centre at Kalina, Santacruz (east). Jain was informed that his car had been stolen.
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A scrutiny of CCTV footage by officials from Vakola police station, where a complaint was registered on Saturday, showed a man driving away with Jain’s car. The accused appeared to be talking on the phone while entering the parking lot before stealing the SUV.
CCTV grabs of the car theft, where the man is seen stealing Jain’s SUV on March 3. The accused appeared to be talking on the phone while entering the parking lot
In his complaint, Vijay Hate (35), HR manager of the centre, told the police that Jain gave his white Ertiga (MH 02 CW 3474) for servicing on March 3 and was to collect it on Friday.
Hate added that the car was parked inside the workshop after servicing and its keys were kept in the security guard’s cabin. However, the theft came to light when Jain came to collect his SUV. Jain and Hate immediately scrutinised the CCTV footage, wherein they saw a well-dressed man driving away with the car.
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Police sources claimed investigators believe the thief tricked the security guard into believing that he was the car owner. And since he was well-dressed, the guard did not find anything fishy about him. After their attempts to trace the car failed, Hate lodged a complaint at the Vakola police station on Saturday. An FIR was registered under Section 379 (theft) of the IPC.
Cop speak
Senior Inspector Mahadev Wavale from Vakola police station said, “About five months ago, money was stolen from a cash box at the same service centre. The new matter will be probed from all possible angles, including involvement of insiders and former employees. We’ll also investigate whether the theft occurred due to the guard’s negligence. The CCTV footage will be scrutinised thoroughly to identify the thief.”
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