Thief stole SUV during test drive

BENGALURU:  Amruthalli police have arrested a 36-year-old history-sheeter who had escaped with an SUV of a businessman on the pretext of test drive. The city-based businessman had posted the vehicle in OLX. The accused M G Venkatesh Naik, a resident of Bhuvaneshwari Nagar on Dasarahalli Main Road, was working in an apartment as maintenance staff.

A senior police officer said that Naik kept a tab on the online sites which sell vehicles. On January 30, this year, he contacted Ravindra, a businessman using a stolen mobile and claimed that he wanted to buy the car. He took the keys and escaped with the SUV on the pretext of a test drive.

Ravindra waited for a day and as he did not turn up, he approached Amruthahalli police. A technical team led by Amruthalli police station tracked the accused through the OLX IP address. It was a mammoth task as the police team got over 2,500 IP address which were checked one by one before zeroing in on the accused and under intense questioning he confessed to the crime. The police have recovered the car and a mobile phone. He intended to sell the stolen cars for quick bucks, and he has been involved in similar cases earlier.