Claiming that he wished to show the vehicle to his family, the accused -- who has been arrested -- asked the attendant to alight near a building on Mira Road and then took flight
Navsari cops have nabbed a street-smart automobile thief, who fled with a Skoda car right under the nose of a showroom attendant on the pretext of taking it for a spin.
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Joyride ends: The Skoda car stolen from Auto Zone in Andheri
The accused, Salman Aman Maikneez, approached Auto Zone in Andheri and told the dealer he wanted to purchase a second-hand car. He chose a vehicle and then requested a test drive. The showroom owner permitted this and asked his employee Naeem Taufeek Shaikh to go along.
The accused took the vehicle to the Kashimira locality on Mira Road where he halted the car near a bakery and pointed it out to Naeem, claiming to be the owner. He stopped again a few metres away near Jahangir Enclave building, saying he wanted to show the vehicle to his family residing on the fourth floor.
Salman asked Naeem to alight, asserting that he wanted to go into the complex alone and surprise his relatives. After refusing initially, the attendant got out of the car. His feet had barely touched the ground when the miscreant sped away with the vehicle.
Sub-inspector Aslam Khatib from Kashimira police station revealed that afterwards Naeem approached the cops and filed a complaint. “The licence plate number of the stolen car was relayed by Thane police control room, and with the help of Navsari police we arrested Salman. Incidentally, the people at the bakery said they had never seen the accused before,” the officer said.
Following the arrest, the police recovered around 35 credit cards -- belonging to Indian as well as Dubai-based banks -- 11 Mobile SIM cards, and two PAN cards from the accused, indicating that he is not a small-time car thief, and may be involved in other crimes too.
However, after police produced him in court, Salman was sent in judicial remand. The cops have filed an application in the sessions court seeking the his custody, Khatib added. u00a0
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