PUNE: A 47-year-old government contractor on Sunday lodged a complaint with the Dattawadi police stating his high-end SUV, Toyota Fortuner, worth Rs36 lakh, was stolen from the parking lot of Ashtavinayak housing society at Laxminagar in Parvati around 3am on the same day.
SUV owner Surendra Veer, a building and road contractor with city’s Public Works Department (PWD), said, “I had parked and locked my 2017-made sports utility vehicle (SUV) around 11pm on Saturday and found it stolen on Sunday afternoon. When I checked the footage of the CCTV cameras installed in the society, I saw unidentified men entering the parking lot in a Maruti Suzuki Swift car at around 2.45am.”
“Footage from 12 minutes later showed both the Swift and the SUV being taken out of the parking lot together. Both the cars headed towards Katraj after leaving the parking lot,” said Veer.
“The Fortuner has keyless entry and ignition. I don’t know how the thieves have managed to steal it. I suspect a gang of professional criminals is behind the theft because such a sophisticated vehicle cannot be opened or stolen using conventional car keys,” he added.
Veer said the SUV also has an emergency alarm and a GPS tracker. “I have shared all theft-related information with the vehicle’s manufacturing company requesting them to trace its location. I await their response. The police are also trying to trace the SUV,” he said.
Verr said the current market price of the SUV is about Rs50 lakh. “However, the Dattawadi police depreciated its value to a meagre Rs18 lakh while registering my complaint,” said the contractor.
Sub-inspector Shivnanda Jadhav, who is investigating the case, on Monday said, “We are analysing CCTV footage to establish the routes used by the thieves before and after the crime. We are also communicating with the manufacturer of the vehicle to trace the SUV.”
An FIR relating to theft under Section 379 of the Indian Penal Code was registered in the matter.
