When I ‘stole’ my own car

Life sometimes places you in situations so bizarre that they sound like a comedy script. I discovered this when I had gone to collect my driving licence at the Suvidha Kendra in my hometown Patiala.

After finishing the formalities, I returned to the parking lot, only to find my car keys missing. Panic rose, as I searched my handbag, pockets, even retraced my steps to the counter. Nothing. Defeated, I resigned myself to fetching the duplicate key from my house and boarded a bus.

At a red light, I noticed a woman twirling her car keys absentmindedly. That sight jolted me — my own keys were still hanging inside the ignition! I leapt off the bus and raced back.

Now came the tricky part: unlocking my own car. A mechanic’s old trick with a steel scale flashed in my mind. Borrowing one from a nearby photocopy shop, I slid it through the window gap. Within seconds, I heard a welcome ‘click’, and the door opened.

The man parked behind stared at me suspiciously, convinced he’d witnessed a theft. I simply smiled, slid into the driver’s seat, and drove away — having “stolen” my own car.

Col RS Narula (retd), Patiala