Mumbai Crime: 2 car thieves escape from Bandra police chowkie

The vintage car rally was organised from BKC to Ballard Pier on January 31. Pic/Sammer Markande

Two suspected car thieves escaped from the Bandra Traffic chowkie after the staff there got busy with the VIP bandobast for a vintage car rally that was flagged off by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on January 31. The duo had been brought to the traffic post after a 2-kilometre chase. The case had been registered at Arnala police station on a complaint by Powai resident Rajeev Soni whose car was stolen from Virar last month.

"The Bandra traffic division has a staff strength of 90 that works in shifts. On Sunday [January 31], about 35 cops were on duty, while 20 of them, including officers, had been deployed for the CM bandobast duty," said a senior traffic officer.

The man who was at the wheel when the cops intercepted the Honda City after a 2-km chase

On January 23, constable Nilesh Kadam issued an e-challan after he found a Honda City bearing registration number MH03CS5407 obstructing traffic outside a hotel in Bandra. It also had a fancy number plate.

"After an e-challan is issued, an SMS alert is sent on the mobile number registered with the vehicle. Since it was a stolen car, the owner [Soni] got the alert and he informed the Arnala police about it," said an officer attached to Bandra traffic police.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray flagged off the vintage car rally. Pic/Sammer Markande

Arnala cops asked senior officer Parmeshwar Ganme from Bandra who told his team to track down the vehicle. "When our team reached the spot, it had already left. But we had kept the registration number in mind," said the officer.

On January 31, traffic constable Sharad Kulal spotted the same car near Lilavati Hospital. "Our officers first tried to stop the vehicle but the driver sped away. Our men intercepted it near the Fire Brigade office after a 2-km chase," said another officer from Bandra traffic division.

The second man in the Honda

The car had three occupants, including a woman. The cops let go the woman after noting her details and took the two men to the chowkie. "Both men were trying to convince us that they had bought the car for R9 lakh," Ganme told mid-day. One of them identified himself as Satish Sinkaswamy Shetty, said the cops.

Just then, the cops received an alert that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray would be passing through the area to flag off a vintage car rally from BKC to Ballard Pier. As more than half the staff rushed to streamline traffic, the duo scooted off apparently pretending that they were going to drink water.

When it was intercepted

The officers at Bandra post were unaware of the lapse until crime branch officers from Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar police commissionerate who had been alerted about the discovery of Soni's car arrived there.

"They are believed to be involved in the thefts of high-end cars at Mira Bhayandar and Vasai Virar," said a crime branch source." The crime branch has taken custody of the vehicle.

The police suspect the two are frequently changing their locations in Bandra, Malad and Mira Road. Calls and messages sent to car owner Soni went unanswered.

Jan 31
Date when the two men gave the Bandra cops the slip