Cab driver

Kadubeesanahalli

auto rickshaw drivers

Bengaluru

By Amit Kumargoes to relieve himself; has car parked in front of a bar instolen by twoTwo minutes. One would think it’s barely window enough to make a bowl of instant noodles. But not if you’re in. As 30-year-old cab driver Gowtham found to his peril, two minutes is time enough to lose a car to thieves.On February 23, Gowtham was driving past midnight on Kadubeesanahalli Road. At around 12.30am, he stopped by the road to relieve himself. He parked his car near Mayura Bar and went off. When he came back a couple of minutes later, his grey Toyota Etios (Reg No, KA 03 AB 3458) was gone. Unfortunately, Gowtham had left the keys in the ignition when he’d stepped out of the car.Gowtham figured something could be wrong when he heard the sound of the engine being started. But by the time he came back to the spot where he had parked, the only thing he could see was the car speeding away. He gave chase for a few metres but could not keep up. He had not seen the miscreants either. However, the closed circuit television (CCTV) installed at the road recorded the whole act.Shivakumar, the owner of the car, found the incident quite surprising. “How can miscreants flee away with the car in just 2-3 minutes? When my driver Gowtham told me about the incident, it was hard for me to believe him. When police officials recovered the CCTV footage, I was really surprised to see the visuals. Two auto rickshaw drivers were seen driving the car away, while Gowtham was attending nature’s call. Gowtham did run behind the car, screaming loudly, but the car was driven away at full speed. After two hours, one person returned to the spot and took his auto rickshaw, which was parked in front of the bar. I hope police officials will identify the miscreants and take action against them,” he added.A complaint was registered at Marathahalli police station. One of the officials from Marathahalli police station said, “We are verifying the CCTV footage and we found some clues. Miscreants will be taken into custody soon.”