Bengaluru: BMW scratched in apartment parking lot, footage 'deleted'

A businessman has vowed to prosecute his apartment association after someone left deep scratches on the surface of his BMW parked in the basement and there was no footage of it in the CCTV cameras.

Satish M, 30, who lives in a posh apartment complex on Panathur Main Road in Kadubeesanahalli, suspects that someone from the apartment — a fellow resident or security guard — battered and scratched all sides of his high-end car (registration number KA 53/MB 8001).

In a complaint to Marathahalli police, Satish stated that he found out about the damage around 10 am on April 21. He had parked the car at 10 pm on April 21.

Speaking to DH, Satish said he first approached the apartment owners’ association to get the CCTV footage as one of the cameras faces his car park and he was certain to get clues about the culprit. But to his shock, he was told more than eight hours later that the digital video recorder had gone defunct and there was no footage of the incident.

Satish said he then went to the police, accusing the association of negligence. He suspects that something happened during those eight hours. “The footage may have been deleted from the DVR,” he said.

According to him, the car needs a lot of repair. “I don’t know how much the repair will cost me. The service centres are closed due to the lockdown,” he said.

An officer from Marathahalli police said it looked like an inside job. “There are about 10 guards in the apartment, four at the main entrance and the rest at the corners and inside the building. It’s highly unlikely that an outsider walked in and did it.”

The officer further said that the would question the guards and the association office-bearers. A case has been registered under the Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act.