Panchkula: Another arrest made in Dhakoli carjacking case

Police have arrested the second accused involved in robbing a Dhakoli resident of his car at a Panchkula market in June this year, even as his domestic help was sitting in the vehicle.

The accused, arrested by crime branch, Sector 26, has been identified as Rajiv, alias Gopu, from Hisar. His co-accused, Manish of Jind, was already arrested on October 6.

Police said Rajiv was arrested from Sector 14, Panchkula, on October 27 after “sustained surveillance” for almost three months. “Rajiv was the one who had snatched the keys from the victim and drove away the vehicle,” said assistant commissioner of police (ACP, Crime) Arvind Kamboj while addressing a press conference on Monday.

The accused was produced before a court on Monday after the three-day police remand ended and sent to judicial custody.

“The duo is involved in multiple cases of car thefts, kidnapping and burglaries in the state,” the ACP added.

The victim, Mathew John, a resident of Airforce Enclave, Dhakoli, had reported that around 2 pm on June 28, he had gone to Axis Bank in Sector 20 to deposit some money. His domestic help, Nargis, 24, was accompanying him.

While he went inside the bank, his maid waited in the vehicle. After depositing the cash, as he was walking back to the car, two men snatched the car keys from him and drove away with the vehicle while Nargis was still inside. She was let off after the car reached Ambala. The car was recovered from near Kaithal hours after being snatched using its GPS system.