Police clueless in Berkeley carjacking case

Last Saturday,two persons came to buy a Maruti Suzuki SX4 car and expressed the desire to take it for a test ride around 3 pm. One of the employees,Umesh,also went along with them for the drive. Around 7.30 pm,when the showroom was being closed for the day,it was found that one car was missing. In the meantime,Umesh called up and informed the owners that the two occupants had snatched the car at gunpoint. Before fleeing,they had dropped Umesh near Karnal.

A police team had visited Karnal with Umesh to investigate the spot where he was dropped by the carjackers. “We have registered the case under Section 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant Sections of the Arms Act against the two unknown persons. On Monday,their sketches will be released,” said Inspector Dharamveer Singh,SHO of Sector 20 police station. Umesh had told the police that the accused took out a gun on reaching the Kalka Road. As the fuel tank of the car was full,they did not stop anywhere,he added.

Moreover,the CCTV cameras installed at the showroom were found not working. General Manager Piyush Chaubey said: “As the shop was going through renovation,there was no power supply.” Asked about the process followed when one wishes to take a test drive,he said: “We note down the name,residence and driving licence number of the person taking the car for a test ride. In this case,one of the accused said his name was Amit — a resident of Sector 26 in Panchkula. The address as well as his driving licence number turned out to be fake. From the next time,we will start keeping the driving licence as security.”

“I do not know why our showroom is always targeted,though there are six to seven automobile dealers in the neighbourhood. It could probably be because we are popular,” he added.

On January 17,robbers had killed Parshuram,an unarmed security guard of a showroom,by hitting him on the head. They had sprayed red chilly powder over his eyes before hitting him. The miscreants had decamped with Rs 15 lakh. The case is yet to be solved. “After this incident,we have started appointing armed guards,” said Chaubey.

In another incident,three persons — who had come in Maruti Zen car — stole Rs 5 lakh from the cashier of Berkeley Automobiles on January 18,2008. The cashier was on his way to deposit the money at a bank in Sector 11. The robbers parked their vehicle in front of victim’s car,broke the window and took the bag at gunpoint. This case too is yet to be cracked.

“In the present case,the modus operandi was totally different. Here,they came and took the car for a test ride,and dropped the employee at Karnal. He was not even hurt. We are investigating the matter,” said Panchkula SP Maneesh Chaudhry.