Thieves arrive in car, drive away with builder’s Merc from parking lot

Ahmedabad: Unidentified thieves executed a slick, daring and almost cinematic heist, driving off with a luxury car from a residential complex in Vastrapur, all under the watch of CCTV cameras.

According to the police complaint filed on Wednesday by a builder in the city, his brown Mercedes-Benz E-Class — valued at around Rs 9 lakh — was parked in the common area of his residential complex near Mansi crossroads on the evening of May 9. His driver had reportedly locked the vehicle before leaving.

On the morning of May 11, when the complainant asked his driver to bring the car around for a work trip, it was nowhere to be found. A quick sweep of the vicinity yielded nothing, leading the builder to file a complaint with Vastrapur police.

CCTV footage has revealed a carefully timed operation. Police said a motorcycle-borne man first conducted a recce, lingering near the premises. Moments later, as the watchman briefly stepped away to fetch water, the signal was given. A car carrying accomplices entered the complex, and within minutes, the Mercedes was unlocked and driven out —without any visible damage.

Investigators suspect the use of a duplicate key or a sophisticated unlocking technique, pointing to a well-practised gang rather than a spur-of-the-moment theft.

The vehicle, a 2010 model registered in Puducherry, was being used in Ahmedabad by the complainant, though it is officially registered in the name of a family acquaintance.

Vastrapur police have registered a case of vehicle theft and launched a probe. Officers are now scanning CCTV footage from surrounding areas to trace the suspects and determine whether an organized interstate gang targeting luxury cars is at play.