A trader was allegedly robbed of his Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire at gunpoint near an unmanned police beat box in Chandigarh’s Sector 46, prompting a police search for two unidentified suspects and renewed questions about night surveillance in the city.
The incident took place around 11.15 pm on Thursday, when the trader, identified as Mohan, was loading inventory into his vehicle outside his grocery shop near the police post. According to the complaint reported by the Times of India, one of the two men pointed a pistol at him while the other took the driver’s seat and drove away in the car.
Mohan told the newspaper that he attempted to chase the suspects with help from a passerby but could not catch them. He also alleged that no police personnel were present at the beat box during the incident. The location of the post, close to a commercial area and a trader’s premises, has brought attention to the difference between the physical presence of a police facility and its active staffing during vulnerable hours.
A police patrolling team met Mohan at about 11.35 pm and advised him to contact the emergency response number 112. Personnel from the Sector 34 police station subsequently reached the site and recorded his statement. Police are examining CCTV footage from cameras in the surrounding area to identify the suspects and trace the stolen vehicle.
The Swift Dzire remained untraced at the time of reporting. The available account does not establish whether the suspects were known to the victim or whether the vehicle had been targeted in advance. Police action is focused on reviewing the footage, identifying the route taken by the car and locating the accused.
The case is the second major gunpoint carjacking reported in Chandigarh within a month, according to the Times of India. In the earlier incident, a Honda City was snatched in Manimajra on September 11. Police later arrested five accused and recovered that vehicle.
The two cases place night patrol coverage, response time and the operation of unmanned beat boxes at the centre of the city’s immediate security concern. A beat box can serve as a visible point of police presence, but its deterrent and response value depends on staffing, patrol coordination, lighting, surveillance coverage and the speed with which emergency calls are acted upon.
Police have not yet announced arrests in the Sector 46 case. The next formal steps are expected to follow the review of CCTV footage and the continuing search for the stolen vehicle and the two suspects.
