Cops recover stolen Zoom Car from Andhra Pradesh

Two weeks after a Zoom Car customer made away with a Hyundai i20 after removing its location tracking device (GPS), the city police have recovered the vehicle from Andhra Pradesh. The suspect is yet to be traced.

The car, rented from Zoom Car in Bengaluru on June 18, was found parked at a bus stand in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. It was towed back to Ashok Nagar police station.

The cops are yet to arrest the culprit, identified as Mahesh Nutan Kumar (24), a resident of Venkatanagar in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.

Mahesh rented the car by submitting the photocopy of a driving licence (DL) belonging to Sai Kumar (22), a resident of Indrapalam in Kakinada. After questioning Sai Kumar, police found that he was innocent and had no idea of the crime. However, the phone number used for booking the car was that of Mahesh, who turned out to be a habitual offender.

Mahesh ran a mobile phone repair shop in Kakinada. When Sai Kumar brought his phone for repair, Mahesh obtained a copy of his DL, saying it was necessary for verification of the device's ownership.

Later, when Mahesh booked the Zoom Car, he submitted a copy of Sai Kumar's DL. The police obtained the call records of the phone number and traced Mahesh's parents and sister to Kakinada. They were detained to find out Mahesh’s whereabouts.

Police said Mahesh was a habitual offender with about five warrants pending against him. He is accused of stealing vehicles and selling them to lead a luxurious life.

Police said Mahesh was a hacker and technologically skilled. He called his parents and sisters only through internet services. However, police had their own methods to trace the kin.

Mahesh’s parents and sister pursued him to give away information about the car and the police found it parked at a bus stand.

“We have recovered the car and will arrest Mahesh soon,” said a senior police officer.