Bhubaneswar: Chandaka Police in Odisha capital on Sunday arrested a 19-year-old serial vehicle thief for allegedly stealing a car by towing it away using a hired rental vehicle.
The accused has been identified as Mandeep Choudhury of Indraharinagar, Turanga in Anugola district.
The incident came to light after car owner Sudarsan Nayak lodged a written complaint stating that his white Maruti Suzuki Dzire was stolen on the night of August 11 while parked outside his father-in-law’s residence in Mangala Sahi, Andharua. Following the complaint, Chandaka police registered a case under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Hours after the theft, the stolen white Dzire was found in a damaged, abandoned condition on a deserted stretch roughly 3 km from the crime scene. Police analyzed CCTV footage and spotted a blue Maruti Suzuki Dzire towing the stolen vehicle, its license plate concealed with black tape to evade detection.
Using technical intelligence and CCTV control room tracking, police intercepted the blue car at Kalpana Chhak on August 20. Further probing revealed that the blue vehicle belonged to a self-drive rental service at Khandagiri, which Choudhury had rented specifically to execute the heist before returning it to the firm. “Suspecting the rain-soaked mud would lead the driver to a car wash, we checked local centres until we identified the vehicle and tracked down its owner. He revealed the car had been leased to a Khandagiri rental service, where we ultimately located the suspect,” said ACP (Zone VI) Manas Ranjan Pradhan.
Police revealed that Choudhury abandoned the stolen car shortly after the theft when it suffered mechanical failure. A habitual offender with four previous vehicle theft cases across various police stations in Bhubaneswar, he was released from jail just last month. He has been forwarded to court as investigation is underway to determine potential ties to a broader car theft network.
