This Article is From Apr 26, 2010

Mumbai teen steals swanky car to impress girlfriend

Mumbai: He wanted to impress his girlfriend and splurge on other friends. And to get the money, he hatched a plot to steal a car with the help of three others.

The main accused, a 17-year-old student of Jai Hind College, whose father is a vigilance officer with Western Railway, was arrested on Saturday for stealing a Honda City from Maker Towers in Cuffe Parade around 9 pm on Friday.

He allegedly carried out the crime in connivance with three others -- Chiranjeev Prajapati (22), Ashish Binda (20) and Vijay Thakur (23).

The minor had promised each of the three Rs 2 lakh after he sold the car.

The police said Prajapati, a chauffeur in Maker Towers, along with Binda stole the keys from the counter where building residents kept their car keys. "They handed over the keys to the main accused," said Police Inspector Vilas Bhole. The minor handed over the car keys to Thakur to drive the car out of the building.

"As Thakur was a chauffeur in Makers Towers, it was easy for him to drive the car out of the building," said a police officer.

"Prajapati and the other two accomplices drove the car to the railway colony in Badhwar Park where the main accused lives. They left it in the colony's parking area," said the officer.

The police got a clue from the CCTV camera at Maker Towers.

"The footage gave a blurred picture of the man driving the car out," said the officer. The building's security guards identified Prajapati from the footage.

"Prajapati, who was picked up on Saturday, spilled the beans which led to the arrests of the other three, including the minor," the police said. "While the minor was granted bail by a holiday court, the other three have been sent to police custody till April 27."
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