Elderly couple’s new SUV stolen, they blame showroom employees

days after an elderly couple bought a car from a showroom in west Delhi, the vehicle was stolen from outside their house in Inderpuri. The couple filed a police complaint alleging they suspect the involvement of a showroom official who had handed them over the keys to the vehicle.

Explaining their case, the elderly couple Sanjay,63, and Neena Ahuja,61, said that in April, they had booked a Honda WRV from a West Delhi showroom.

On May 30, they proposed to cancel their booking realising that the vehicle delivery would take several months.

“On May 31, my wife received a call that another customer who had booked the vehicle had cancelled their booking. The vehicle was of the same colour and they told us that we could take the delivery the same day,” said Ahuja.

Ahuja alleged he did not get the vehicle on May 31.

“On June 1, when my wife inquired in the morning, they initially said that VAHAN, the software to register car online, was not working but at around 3.45 pm, they miraculously registered the car and delivered it to us. It was delivered without a number plate. The number of the car was printed on a piece of paper and pasted on the front and rear windshield.”

According to Ahuja, they were given two sets of keys, one original with remote locking and another duplicate pair. The following day, a showroom employee came to his residence with registration plate.

“My wife was alone as I had gone somewhere. She gave the person the duplicate key but it could not open the car. Then, she opened the car with the remote locking key. She handed the duplicate key to the showroom employee after informing the sales manager. It was no use to us since it was not compatible with our car,” he said.

That was the last the Ahujas saw of their car. On June 3, the car was stolen. Footage from a CCTV installed in the building, shows a man entering the gate, taking a key out of his pocket and using it to start the car at 12.30pm. The Ahujas got to know about the theft around 7.30pm.

“The thief drove away in less than 10 seconds. We suspect some showroom employees stole the original second set of keys and used it to steal the vehicle,” Ahuja alleged.

Police said they have registered a case at the Inderpuri police station. “The CCTV footage is not clear. The man’s face is not visible. We are questioning the employees of the showroom.”