Car theft suspect in their custody for 10 days, cops can’t even get his name

Police say they could not pressure accused as they feared action by rights panel; even after trips to Kanpur and Baroda, stolen car remains untraced

Car theft suspect in their custody for 10 days, cops can't even get his name

Police say they could not pressure accused as they feared action by rights panel; even after trips to Kanpur and Baroda, stolen car remains untraced

Au00a0young entrepreneur whose car was stolen last month says he feels frustrated and disgusted beyond words as even after catching the accused and managing to get police custody for him, the police were unable to trace the vehicle or even get the real name of the suspect.

No name, no car : The car theft accused, who goes by the name of
Rajesh Sonawane as well as Dinesh Zaveri, but whose real name is
still not known. The man got a job as a driver with an entrepreneur
and was told to drive to Mumbai in it on October 11 and return, but
he never came back with the vehicle

Sachin Patwardhan says he realised his car had been stolen by his driver on October 12. A team from Crime Branch Unit II was even successful in nabbing the driver and hand him over to the local police station. But despite the driver getting 10-day police custody, the local police station could not recover the stolen car.
The local police station also told the complainant that they could not pressurise the arrested man to reveal where he had sold the car as they feared action from the Human Rights Commission.

Bogus documents
In the 10 days, the police were unable to even find out the real name of the accused as the documents seized from him turned out to be bogus. The driver, who told the police his name was Dinesh Zaveri and that he was 45 years old, had introduced himself to Patwardhan as Rajesh Sonawane. "I offered a driver's job to a person named Rajesh Sonawane. There was no reason to doubt him as he submitted all the necessary documents on the first day itself," said Patwardhan.

The driver was sent to Mumbai on October 11 and failed to return on October 12. Patwardhan filed a police
complaint at the nearest police chowky. Later when the driver was arrested, the police identified him as Dinesh Zaveri. "When the Crime Branch Unit II team was successful in nabbing the person on November 14, it raised my hopes. But when he was handed over to the local police, my hope turned to gloom. Despite getting his ten days' custody, the police were unable to trace the vehicle."u00a0

Wild goose chase
Patwardhan cooperated with the local police in the investigation and even took them in a car to Kanpur, where the driver said he had sold the stolen vehicle. But it was all in vain as after reaching Kanpur, Sonawane alias Zaveri said he had lied. Then the driver told the investigating team he had sold the car in Badoda. When a team went there, the same story was repeated. Zaveri alias Sonawane was produced in court after his police custody ended. He was remanded in magisterial custody.

Sub Inspector M B Kale, who was investigating the case, said, "We could not do much as the suspect did not cooperate in the police inquiry. We could not pressurise him to reveal where he had sold the car as by doing so we fear the Human Rights Commission will take action on us."