Bengaluru City Police have arrested two people, including a woman from another state, for allegedly stealing luxury vehicles and selling them in Rajasthan. A Toyota Fortuner valued at Rs 35 lakh has been recovered from Rajasthan’s Barmer district.
The case surfaced after a Chennai resident complained that his Toyota Fortuner had been stolen from a hotel parking lot in Singasandra on June 27.
The man had travelled to Bengaluru for a weekend trip and parked his vehicle at the hotel after returning from a movie at around 1.30 am.
As part of the investigation, police traced the suspects to the Belagavi-Pune National Highway near Karad on July 4.
The main accused managed to flee with the stolen vehicle, while his female associate was taken into custody.
During questioning, the woman allegedly admitted that the pair had been targeting expensive cars as a way to make quick money.
A special police team subsequently arrested the prime accused near Silk Board on July 17.
According to police, the accused used duplicate keys manufactured with sophisticated equipment to unlock luxury vehicles. He allegedly sold the stolen cars to acquaintances in Barmer, Balotra and other parts of Rajasthan.
Acting on information provided by him, police recovered the stolen Toyota Fortuner on July 24 from Aleti, which falls under the jurisdiction of Dhorimana Police Station in Rajasthan. The vehicle is estimated to be worth Rs 35 lakh.
Police said the accused had earlier been named in 21 cases registered across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
The operation was conducted by the Electronic City Division police under the supervision of DCP M Narayan and ACP Satish R, with Parappana Agrahara Police Inspector Naveen Kumar PG and other police personnel involved in the investigation.
