In a swift and textbook investigation, Chandaka Police have arrested a 19-year-old alleged professional vehicle thief who thought a hired blue Maruti Suzuki Dzire and a strip of black tape would be enough to cover his tracks.
On 12 August 2026, Sudarsan Nayak of Andharua, Mangala Sahi, lodged a complaint at Chandaka police station that his white Maruti Suzuki Dzire (OD-33-AL-6660) had been stolen. The case was registered under Section 303(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Within hours, the complainant himself discovered the car abandoned in a damaged condition barely three kilometres from the scene. That was only the beginning. CCTV cameras installed at Chandaka Chhak captured a blue Maruti Suzuki Dzire towing the stolen white vehicle. The number plate of the blue car was deliberately concealed with black tape, but careful enhancement revealed the registration: BR-46-J-1684.
A requisition to the CCTV Control Room quickly paid off. On 20 August the blue Dzire was traced near Kalpana Square and brought to the police station. Investigation established that the accused had hired the vehicle from a self-drive car rental service, used it to commit the theft, and returned it later — a classic attempt to create distance between himself and the crime.
Photographs maintained by the rental company were matched with the CCTV footage, confirming the identity of the person seen driving the blue car. Raids at several locations led to the arrest of Mandeep Choudhury, son of Rajaram Choudhury, a resident of Indraharinagar, Turanga under Town police station in Anugola district.
During interrogation, the 19-year-old allegedly admitted his role and disclosed a worrying history: he had previously been arrested and forwarded to court four times in similar vehicle-theft cases — twice by Lingaraj PS, once by Khandagiri PS and once by Bharatpur PS. Preventive proceedings under Section 129 of the BNSS had also been initiated against him earlier this year by Bharatpur police; he was out on bail at the time of the latest offence.
Police recovered the stolen white Dzire (in damaged condition) and identified the blue offending vehicle hired from the self-drive service. Officials describe the accused as a “professional car thief” with an emerging network that investigators are now working to dismantle.
The case remains under further investigation as Chandaka Police continue to probe possible links to other vehicle thefts in the Bhubaneswar region.
