Bhubaneswar: Chandaka police here on Sunday arrested a 19‑year‑old youth on charges of stealing a car by towing it with another vehicle he had hired from a rental service.Police identified the accused as Mandeep Choudhury of Angul district. Sources said Choudhury was released from jail only last month in connection with another vehicle theft case.On Aug 12, Chandaka police registered a case following a complaint by car owner Sudarsan Nayak, who reported that his vehicle had been stolen the previous night while parked outside his father‑in‑law’s house in Andharua. Hours later, the car was found abandoned on a deserted stretch barely 3 km from the spot of theft.Police examined CCTV footage and discovered that a blue car was towing Nayak’s vehicle. The number plate of the blue car had been concealed with black tape, apparently to avoid detection.“Since it was raining that night, we suspected the driver might have taken the car to a washing centre to clean off the mud. After checking several washing centres, we obtained leads about the offending vehicle and traced its owner. The owner revealed that his car had been given to a rental service in Khandagiri. From there, we zeroed in on the accused,” said ACP (Zone VI) Manas Ranjan Pradhan.Police said Choudhury abandoned the stolen car after it developed mechanical problems. “During investigation, we found he had earlier been involved in four similar cases in Bhubaneswar and was arrested in those incidents,” Pradhan added.
