In an incident that could have been mistaken for a comedy caper, a 19-year-old youth drove off in the official vehicle of a police officer, right from outside the gates of the Pragati Maidan Police Station in Kolkata.
The theft, committed in broad daylight on Thursday evening, has raised uncomfortable questions about basic security measures at one of the city's key police installations. The red Tata Sumo, assigned to the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the police station, was left unlocked and unattended when the teenager made his move.
CCTV footage captured Imran Hussain, a resident of Itahar in North Dinajpur, loitering near the gate around 5:00 PM. Dressed casually in an orange T-shirt and half-pants, the youth slipped into the unattended vehicle at 5:08 PM and drove off—without facing the slightest resistance.
It took 17 minutes for the officers on duty to realise the vehicle was gone. By 5:25 PM, panic had set in. A flurry of activity followed—CCTV tapes were reviewed, an alert was issued to the traffic control room, and images of the suspect were shared across city units.
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The vehicle was finally intercepted near Kasba Police Station, where alert officers stopped the Sumo and detained Imran.
Initial interrogation has not established any clear criminal intent, nor have investigators found evidence of links to extremist groups. "He has shown no signs of either criminal planning or militant affiliation," said a senior officer. Officials suspect the youth may be mentally unstable, although no official medical evaluation has yet been released.
A formal case has been registered, and a team has been tasked with probing the motive and possible lapses in protocol that allowed the theft to occur in such close proximity to a police station.
While the vehicle was recovered unharmed, the incident has embarrassed the force and triggered internal inquiries.
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