Serial car theft victim hopes to be 4thtime lucky

The thief was welldressed... He tricked the gym receptionist into looking for a trainer, took the key, and drove away DEEPAK PANDOI, south Delhi businessman

NEWDELHI: A south Delhi businessman has been the victim of car thefts four times in the last three years, police said on Sunday as investigators search for his Renault Duster, which was stolen from outside a gym in

Lajpat Nagar’s K block on January 30.

On the first three occasions, the cars were found though the thieves were caught only once. The victim, 50-year-old textile dyer and finisher Deepak Pandoi, is now hoping to be fourth-time lucky.

The cars stolen the first three times were two goldenbeige Honda City sedans. He still drives one of them. Deputy commissioner of police (south-east) Chinmoy Biswal said that the first three thefts had been perpetrated in the same neighbourhood in Lajpat Nagar’s G block.

The series of thefts started on the morning of December 16, 2014. “My car cleaner rang the doorbell to say that my car was missing from its regular parking space. I immediately called the police,” Pandoi said.

The businessman could not believe his luck when, barely a week later, his former driver called to say that the car was parked at an isolated spot in Greater Kailash. “I don’t know who stole my car or how it reached Greater Kailash. The police and I were both happy to recover the car,” said Pandoi.

But just four months later, on April 10, 2015, Pandoi’s other Honda City got stolen from an empty parking spot in the vicinity.

Once again, it was the cleaner who alerted him to the theft. “I followed the drill, got a case registered, and prayed that I would get lucky again,” said Pandoi.

He received a call from the police around 10 days later. “The thief had abandoned my car outside Peeragarhi police station after being involved in a minor accident,” he said.