THE Dindoshi police have solved a dramatic vehicle theft case involving a cleaner who stole the vehicle of his employer and tried to flee to his native place in Fatehpur district, in Uttar Pradesh. 

Police said that the accused, identified as Nandlal Rajput, 25, kept his mobile phone switched off in a bid to evade arrest; however, without GPS access, he lost his way and instead reached Hyderabad. 

Police said that they were able to trace Rajput through the FASTag sticker installed on the vehicle and caught him with the help of the National Police Coordination Group, Hyderabad, along with the stolen vehicle.

According to police sources, Rajput had been working as a cleaner with a Malad-based company, Nancy Impact Consumer Authority District Agency, for the past eight years. During this time, he learnt how to drive and obtained a licence and frequently took care of local deliveries.

On August 27, his employer assigned him to deliver goods between Malad and Dahisar. The vehicle was carrying products worth around R2 lakh, and Rajput had also collected about R53,000 in cash payments from customers. Since some goods remained undelivered, he returned the vehicle to the company’s office around 9 pm. However, later that night, Rajput came back to the office, stole the vehicle, and drove away.

The next morning (August 28), when the owner arrived at the office, both Rajput and the vehicle were missing. Several attempts to contact him failed as his phone remained switched off, after which the owner approached the Dindoshi police station and got a complaint registered.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered under the relevant sections, and an investigation was launched under the supervision of DCP Anand Bhoite (additional charge) and Senior Police Inspector Mahendra Shinde, PSI Ajit Desai and the detection team.

“Since Rajput’s phone was switched off and the vehicle’s original ownership documents were missing, the police faced difficulty tracing him. The vehicle had a FASTag. Investigators first recharged the tag and then began receiving toll deduction alerts, which revealed that the vehicle was heading towards Hyderabad,” a police officer said. 

After losing track, Rajpur switched on his mobile, which helped the police to trace his location to Hyderabad. Following this, details of the accused and the vehicle were shared with the National Police Coordination Group in Hyderabad, said the officer, adding that with the assistance of Hyderabad police, Rajput was detained. A Dindoshi police team then took him into custody and brought him back to Mumbai, said the officer.

During interrogation, Rajput revealed that he hails from Fatehpur district, where his ailing parents reside. He admitted that he stole the vehicle with the intention of returning to his village and using it to earn a livelihood while caring for them.

Following his arrest, he was produced before a court which remanded him to judicial custody, the officer added.

This article first appeared on Mid Day