2,000 km, 4 states, 1.5 years: Rajasthan man’s missing car trail ends in Bengaluru assault

BENGALURU: A 32-year-old man from Rajasthan who travelled to Bengaluru to re-possess his missing SUV was allegedly hit with iron rods and robbed in a drama spanning nearly 2,000km across four states, leading to the arrest of a 40-year-old businessman.

Chandra Prakash, from Jodhpur, had lent his Hyundai Creta to a friend, Mahendra Gujjar, over 1.5 years ago. Gujjar had promised to return the vehicle within weeks but failed to do so. Prakash then filed a complaint with Jodhpur Police last year. However, the investigation made little headway.


Desperate to retrieve his Creta, Prakash began tracking the vehicle through a mobile app. Data showed the SUV in Bengaluru. Without informing Jodhpur Police, Prakash arrived in Bengaluru around 7.30am on Feb 23 with a spare key of the SUV, little knowing that he would be central to a 16-hour drama.

That day, Prakash traced the vehicle's location to Mangammanapalya in east Bengaluru. After locating the SUV parked by the roadside, he used the spare key and drove away late evening. As he approached Bommanahalli Circle around 11.10pm, three men on a two-wheeler intercepted him.

When Prakash questioned them, an argument broke out. The trio allegedly assaulted him with an iron rod and a helmet. They then robbed his two cellphones and drove away with the SUV, police stated. Soon, residents alerted cops.

Police shifted an injured Prakash to the hospital. Based on his complaint, cops arrested Mangilal Choudary (40), a businessman from Rajasthan. A search was on for two other suspects.

Choudary claimed he had extended a friendly loan to an acquaintance who failed to repay him. The SUV was handed over as security. Further investigation said Gujjar had allegedly borrowed money from acquaintances and passed the vehicle to a friend of Choudary, who later returned it to him.

Police recovered the SUV and the two cellphones. "Instead of risking himself to claim the vehicle, Prakash should have sought assistance from police," the investigating officer said, adding that the vehicle will be returned to Prakash after court procedure.