SUV worth Rs22 lakh stolen from Parel

A Mitsubishi Pajero SUV was stolen by unidentified persons from Parel early on Thursday morning.

The vehicle, worth Rs22 lakh, belonged to Masooq Sheikh, 38, a businessman and a resident of a first-floor flat in Kamal building, Dr Ambedkar Road.  

Sheikh had parked his vehicle (MH-14-CC-4241) by the roadside outside his residence around 11.30pm on Wednesday.

It was purchased about two months ago. Sheikh was shocked to find his car missing when he went out the next morning around 8.30am. Unable to trace it, he lodged a complaint of theft at Bhoiwada police station.

“We have registered a case of theft. We have sent wireless messages containing the car’s details, including its registration number, colour, chassis and engine numbers to all the police stations across the city,” said a police officer of Bhoiwada police station.  

“We have begun to interrogate the car thieves who were earlier arrested by the Mumbai crime branch to collect the clue,” said a crime branch officer.

This is the first time a four-wheeler like Pajero has been stolen from a middle-class locality like Parel.

In 2009, 2,639 four-wheelers were stolen in Mumbai.  The police, however, managed to trace only 241.

“The theft of several four-wheelers and two-wheelers are going up
daily due to lack of patrolling by policemen  during night,” said Subhash Rane, a resident of Shivneri building at Parel.